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And, in my judgment, the force of this objection will be much diminished, if the abfent rector or vicar be, in the mean-time, engaged in any function or employment, of equal importance to the general intereft of religion, or of greater. For the whole revenue of the national church may properly enough be confidered as a common fund for the fupport of the national religion; and, if a clergyman be ferving the caufe of Chriftianity and Proteftantifm, it can make little difference, out of what particular portion of this fund, that is, by the tithes and glebe of what particular parifh his fervice be requited; any more than it can prejudice the king's fervice, that an officer who has fignalized his merit in America, fhould be rewarded with the government of a fort or caftle in Ireland, which he never faw; but for the cuftody of which proper provifion is made, and care taken.

Upon the principle thus explained, this indulgence is due to none more than to those who are occupied in cultivating or communicating religious knowledge, or the sciences fubfidiary to religion,

This way of confidering the revenues of the church, as a common fund for the fame purpose, is the more equitable, as the value of particular preferments bears no proportion to the particular charge or labour.

But when a man draws upon this fund, whofe ftudies and employments bear no relation to the object of it, and who is no farther a minifter of the Chriftian religion, than as a cockade makes a foldier, it seems a mifapplication little better than robbery.

And to those who have the management of fuch matters I fubmit this queftion, whether the impoverishment of the fund, by converting the

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beft fhare of it into annuities for the gay and illiterate youth of great families, threatens not to ftarve and ftifle the little clerical merit that is left amongst us?

All legal difpenfations from refidence proceed upon the fuppofition, that the abfentee is detained from his living, by fome engagement of equal or of greater public importance. Therefore, if in a cafe, where no fuch reafon can with truthbe pleaded, it be faid that this question regards a right of property, and that all right of property awaits the difpofition of law; that, therefore, if the law, which gives a man the emoluments of a living, excufe him from refiding upon it, he is excused in confcience; we answer, that the law does not excufe him by intention, and that all other excufes are fraudulent.

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СНАР.

CHAP. XV.

A

LIE S.

LIE is a breach of promise: for whoever seriously addreffes his discourse to another, tacitly promifes to fpeak the truth, because he knows that the truth is expected.

Or the obligation of veracity may be made out from the direct ill confequences of lying to focial happiness. Which confequences confift, either in fome fpecific injury to particular individuals, or in the destruction of that confidence, which is effential to the intercourfe of human life: for which latter reason, a lie may be pernicious in its general.tendency, and therefore criminal, though it produce no particular or visible mifchief to any one.

There are falfehoods which are not lies; that is, which are not criminal; as,

I. Where no one is deceived; which is the case in parables, fables, novels, jefts, tales to create mirth, ludicrous embellishments of a ftory, where the declared defign of the fpeaker is not to inform, but to divert; compliments in the fubfcription of a letter, a fervant's denying his mafter, a prifoner's pleading not guilty, an advocate afferting the justice, or his belief of the juftice of his client's caufe. In fuch inftances no confidence is deftroyed, because none was repofed; no promife to fpeak the truth is violated, because none was given, or understood to be given.

2. Where the perfon to whom you fpeak has no right to know the truth, or more properly, where little or no inconveniency refults from the want of confidence in fuch cafes; as where you tell a falfe

hood

hood to a madman, for his own advantage; to a robber, to conceal your property; to an affaffin, to defeat, or to divert him from his purpose. The particular confequence is by the fuppofition beneficial; and, as to the general confequence, the worst that can happen is, that the madman, the robber, the affaffin, will not truft you again, which (befide that the first is incapable of deducing regular conclufions from having been once deceived, and the two last not likely to come a fecond time in your way) is fufficiently compenfated by the immediate benefit which you propofe by the falsehood.

**

It is upon this principle, that by the laws of war, it is allowed to deceive an enemy by feints, false colours, fpies, falfe intelligence, and the like; but, by no means, in treaties, truces, fignals of capitulation, or furrender: and the difference is, that the former fuppofe hoftilities to continue, the latter are calculated to terminate or fufpend them. In the conduct of war, and whilst the war continues, there is no use, or rather no place for confidence, betwixt the contending parties; but in whatever relates to the termination of war, the most religious fidelity is expected, becaufe without it wars could not ceafe, nor the victors be fecure, but by the entire deftruction of the vanquished.

Many people indulge in ferious difcourfe a habit. of fiction and exaggeration, in the accounts they give of themselves, of their acquaintance, or of the extraordinary things which they have seen or heard; and fo long as the facts they relate are indif

There have been two or three inftances of late, of English fhips decoying an enemy into their power, by counterfeiting fignals of diftrefs; an artifice which ought to be reprobated by the common indignation of mankind: for a few examples of captures effected by this ftratagem, would put an end to that promp titude in affording affittance to fhips in diftrefs, which is the bett virtue in a feafaring character, and by which the perils of navigation are diminished to all.

ferent,

ferent, and their narratives, though false, are inoffenfive, it may feem a fuperftitious regard to truth, to cenfure them merely for truth's fake.

In the first place, it is almoft impoffible to pronounce beforehand, with certainty, concerning any lie, that it is inoffenfive. Volat irrevocabile; and collects fometimes accretions in its flight, which entirely change its nature. It may owe poffibly its mifchief to the officiousness or misrepresentation of those who circulate it; but the mischief is, nevertheless, in fome degree, chargeable upon the original editor. In the next place, this liberty in converfation defeats its own end. Much of the pleasure, and all the benefit of converfation, depends upon our opinion of the speaker's veracity; for which this rule leaves no foundation. The faith indeed of a hearer must be extremely perplexed, who confiders the fpeaker, or believes that the speaker confiders himfelf, as under no obligation to adhere to truth, but according to the particular importance of what he relates.

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But befide and above both thefe reafons, white lies always introduce others of a darker complexion. I have feldom known any one who deferted truth in trifles, that could be trufted in matters of importance. Nice diftinctions are out of the queftion, upon occafions, which like thofe of fpeech, return every hour. The habit therefore, of lying, when once formed, is easily extended to serve the defigns of malice or intereft; like all habits, it fpreads indeed of itself.

Pious frauds, as they are improperly enough called, pretended infpirations, forged books, counterfeit miracles, are impofitions of a more serious nature. It is poffible that they may fometimes, though feldom, have been fet up and encouraged, with a defign to do good; but the good they aim at, requires that the belief of them should be perpetual, which is hardly poffible; and the detection of the fraud is

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