is an intention to deceive by falfehood in rur words. To warn us against lying, we should do well to confider the folly, the meannels, and the wickedness of it.

The folly of lying confifts in its defeating its own purpose. A habit of lying is generally in the end detected; and, after detection, the lyar, instead of deceiving, will not even be believed when he happens to fpeak the truth. Nay, every fingle lye is attended with fuch a variety of circum ftances, which lead to a detection, that it is often difcovered, The ufe generally made of a lve, is to cover a fault; but as the end is feldom anfwered, we only aggravate what we with to conceal. In point even of prudence, an honeft confeffion would ferve us better,

The meanness of lying arifes from the cowardice which it implies, We dare not hldly and nobly fpeak the truth; but have recourfe to low fubterfuges, which always argue a fordid and disingenuous mind. Hence it is, that in the fashionable world, the word lyar is always confidered as a term of peculiar reproach.

The wickedness of lying confifts in its Perverting one of the greatest bleffings of God, the use of fpeech, in making that a mifchief to mankind, which was intended fora benefit. Truth is the great bond of ciety. Falfehood, of courfe, tends to its Jiffolution. If one man may lye, why Put another? And if there is no mutual traf among men, there is an end of all intercourfe and dealing.

An equivocation is nearly related to a e. It is an intention to deceive under words of a double meaning, or words which, literally speaking, are true; and is equally criminal with the most downright breach of truth. When St. Peter afked Sapphira (in the 5th chapter of the Acts) "whether her husband had fold the land fer fo much?" She anfwered he had: and emily the fpoke the truth; for he dfold it for that fum included in a Larger. But having an intention to deceive, we find the apoftle confidered the equivocation as a lye.

In thort, it is the intention to deceive, which is criminal: the mode of deception, Like the vehicle in which poifon is conveyed, is of no confequence. A nod, or fign, my convey a lye as effectually as the moft deceitful language.

Under the head of lying may be mentioned a breach of promife. While a refolation remains in our own breafts, it is fub

ject to our own review: but when we make another perfon a party with us, an engagement is made; and every engagement, though only of the lightest kind, fhould be punctually obferved. if we have added to this engagement a folemn promife, the obligation is fo much the ftronger: and he who does not think himself bound by fuch an obligation, has no pretenfions to the character of an honest man. A breach of promife is ftill worse than a lye. A lye is fimply a breach of truth: but a breach of promife is a breach both of truth and trust.

Forgetfulness is a weak excufe: it only fhews how little we are affected by so folemn an engagement. Should we forget to call for a fum of money, of which we were in want, at an appointed time? Or do we think a folemn promife of less value than a fum of money?

Having confidered evil fpeaking and lying, let us next confider flandering. By flandering, we mean, injuring our neigh bour's character by falfehood. Here we till rife higher in the fcale of injurious words. Slandering, our neighbour is the greatest injury, which words can do him; and is, therefore, worfe than either evilfpeaking or lying. The mifchief of this fin depends on the value of our characters. All men, unless they be paft feeling, defire naturally to be thought well of by their fellow-creatures: a good character is one of the principal means of being ferviceable either to ourselves or others; and among numbers, the very bread they eat depends upon it. What aggravated injury, therefore, do we bring upon every man, whose name we flander? And, what is ftill worfe, the injury is irreparable. If you defraud a man; reftore what you took, and the injury is repaired. But, if you flander him, it is not in your power to shut up all the ears, and all the mouths, to which your tale may have accefs. The evil fpreads, like the winged feeds of fome noxious plants, which featter mifchief on a breath of air, and difperfe it on every fide, and beyond prevention.

Before we conclude this fubject, it may just be mentioned, that a flander may be fpread as a lye may be told, in various ways. We may do it by an infinuation, as well as in a direct manner; we may fpread it in a fecret; or propagate it under the colour of friendship.

I may add alfo, that it is a fpecies of flander, and often a very malignant one, to leffen the merits or exaggerate the failing

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We may be unjuft alfo in our refentment; by carrying it beyond what reafon and religion preferibe.

But it would be endless to defcribe the various ways, in which injustice difcovers itself. In truth, almost every omillion of duty may be refolved into injuftice.

The next precept is, "to bear no malice nor hatred in our hearts."

The malice and hatred of our hearts arife, in the first place, from injurious treatment; and furely no man, when he is jured, can at firit help feeling that he is fo. But Chriftianity requires, that we hould fubdue thefe feelings, as foon as pble; and not fuffer the fun to go down upon our wrath." Various are the pages of fcripture, which inculcate the forgiveness of injuries. Indeed no point is more laboured than this; and with reafoa, because no temper is more productive of evil, both to ourfelves and others, than a malicious one. The fenfations of a mind bering with revenge are beyond defcription: and as we are at thefe feafons very unable to judge cooly, and of courfe liable to carry our refentment too far, the confequence is, that, in our rage, we may do a touland things, which can never be atoned for, and of which we may repent as long

as we live.

Befides, one act draws on another; and retaliation keeps the quarrel alive. The Rufpel, therefore, ever gracious and kind to man, in all its precepts, injoins us to check all thofe violent emotions, and to leave our caufe in the hands of God. Vengeance is mine, I will repay, faith the Lord;" and he who, in oppofition to as precept, takes vengeance into his own ads, and cherithes the malice and hatred of his heart, may affure himfelf that he has not yet learned to be a Chriftian. Thefe precepts, perhaps, may not entirely agree with modern principles of honour bat let the man of honour fee to that. The maxims of the world cannot change the truth of the gospel.

Nay, even in recovering our juft right, or in purfaing a criminal to justice, we hould take care that it be not done in the ipirit of retaliation and revenge. If thefe be our motives, though we make the law our infrument, we are equally guilty.

But befides injurious treatment, the malice and hatred of our hearts have often another fource, and that is envy: and thus in the litany;" envy, malice, and hatred,” are all joined together with great proprie

ty. The emotions of envy are generally cooler, and lefs violent, than those which arife from the refentment of injury; fo that envy is feldom fo mifchievous in its effects as revenge: but with regard to ourselves, it is altogether as bad, and full as deftructive of the fpirit of chriftianity. What is the religion of that man, who inftead of thanking Heaven for the bleffings he receives, is fretting himfelf continually with difagrecable comparifon between himself and fome other? He cannot enjoy what he has, becaufe another has more wealth, a fairer fame, or perhaps more merit, than himfelf. He is miferable, because others are happy.

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But to omit the wickednefs of envy, how abfurd and foolish is it, in a world where we must neceffarily expect much real mifery, to be perniciously inventive in producing it!

Befiles, what ignorance! We fee only the glaring outfide of things. Under all that envied glare, many unfeen distresses may lurk, from which our ftation may be free: for our merciful Creator feems to have bestowed happiness, as far as ftation is concerned, with great equality among all his creatures.

In conclufion, therefore, let it be the great object of our attention, and the subject of our prayers, to rid our minds of all this curfed intrufion of evil thoughtswhether they proceed from malice, or from an envious temper. Let all our malicious thoughts foften into charity and benevolence; and let us forgive one another, as God, for Christ's fake, has forgiven us." As for our envious thoughts, as far as they relate to externals, let them fubfide in humility. acquiefcence, and fubmiffion to the will of God. And when we are tempted to envy the good qualities of others, let us fpurn fo bafe a conception, and change it into a generous emulationinto an endeavour to raise ourselves to an equality with our rival, not to depress him to a level with us. Gilpin.

$166. Duties to ourselves.

Thus far the duties we have confidered

come moft properly under the head of thofe which we owe to our neighbour; what follows, relates rather to ourselves. On this head, we are inftructed" to keep our bodies in temperance, foberness, and chastity."

Though, our fouls fhould be our great concern, yet, as they are nearly connected 0 4

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with our bodies, and as the impurity of the one contaminates the other, a great degree of moral attention is, of courfe, due to our bodies alfo.

As our firft ftation is in this world, to which our bodies particularly belong, they are formed with fuch appetites as are requifite to our commodious living in it; and the rule given us is, "to ufe the world fo as not to abufe it," St. Paul, by a beautiful allufion, calls our bodies the " temples of the Holy Ghoft;" by which he means to imprefs us with a frong idea of their dignity; and to deter us from debafing, by low pleafures, what fhould be the feat of fo much purity. To youth thefe cautions are above meafure necessary, because their paflions and appetites are ftrong; their reafon and judgment weak. They are prone to pieafure, and void of reflection. How, therefore. thefe young adventurers in life may beft fteer their courfe, and ufe this finful world fo as not to abuse it, is a confideration well worth their attention. Let us then fee under what regulations their appetites fhould be reftrained.

By keeping our bodies in temperance is meant avoiding excefs in eating, with regard both to the quantity and quality of our food. We fhould neither eat more than our ftomachs can well bear; nor be nice and delicate in our eating.

To preferve the body in health is the end of eating; and they who regulate themselves merely by this end, who eat without choice or distinction, paying no regard to the pleasure of eating, obferve perhaps the beft rule of temperance. They go rather indeed beyond temperance, and may be called abftemious. A man may be temperate, and yet allow himself a little more indulgence. Great care, however, is here neceffary; and the more, as perhaps no precife rule can be affixed, after we have paffed the firft great limit, and let the palate loofe among variety. Our own difcretion must be our guide, which should be conftantly kept awake by

confidering the many bad confequences which attend a breach of temperance.Young men, in the full vigour of health, do not confider these things; but as age comes on, and different maladies begin to appear, they may perhaps repent they did not a little earlier practise the rules of temperance.

In a moral and religious light, the confequences of intemperance are ftill worse. To enjoy a comfortable meal, when it comes before us, is allowable: but he who fuffers his mind to dwell upon the pleasures of eating, and makes them the employment of his thoughts, has at leaft opened one fource of mental corruption +.

After all, he who would moft perfectly enjoy the pleafures of the table, fuch as they are, muft look for them within the rules of temperance. The palate, accuftomed to fatiety, hath loft its tone; and the greateft fenfualifts have been brought to confefs, that the coarfeft fare, with an appetite kept in order by temperance, affords a more delicious repaft, than the most luxurious meal without it.

As temperance relates chiefly to eating, fobernefs or fobriety relates properly to drinking. And here the fame oblervations recur. The ftricteft, and perhaps the best rule, is merely to fatisfy the end of drinking. But if a little more indulgence be taken, it ought to be taken with the greateft circumfpection.

With regard to youth, indeed, I fhould be inclined to great ftrictness on this head, In eating, if they eat of proper and fimple food, they cannot eafily err. Their growing limbs, and ftrong exercise, require larger fupplies than full-grown bodies, which must be kept in order by a more rigid temperance. But if more indulgence be allowed them in eating, lefs, furely, fhould in drinking. With strong liquors of every kind they have nothing to do; and if they fhould totally abftain on this head, it were fo much the better. The languor which attends age 1, requires perhaps, now and then, fome aids; but the

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