CHRISTIAN MORALITY, VIZ. ESERM. XXI... p4jpf the truth, as I hinted, in the former sermon ; yet in my opinion it is neither prudent, proper, nor lawful, to speak a falsehood to deceive my neighbour. The vyhole truth may not always be necessary to be spoken to men ; but such falsehood is always a sin in the sight of God. All lying is utterly forbidden ; and the true meaning of a lie is, when we speak that which we believe to be false, with a design to deceive the person to whom we speak. Here may arise two questions : Question I. If I have a good and valuable end in speaking, and my design is to serve the glory of God, or the good of my neighbour, may I not then use the art of lying, or speak a known falsehood without sin ? Question 2. Surely there are some sort ofpersons who bave no right to truth, such as children, common liars, knaves or cheats; may we not therefore deceive them by direct falsehoods, either for their good, or for our own ? These are enquiries of very great importance to the honour of truth, to the satisfaction of conscience, and to the welfare of mankind : And it is my present opinion (and I think there is good reason for it) that none of these cases can make an express and deceitful falsehood to be lawful, or change the nature of a lie, and make it innocent; but to debate these two cases as largely as they deserve, would too much encumber the present discourse; I leave them therefore to be read with an honest and se- rious mind, as an Appendix to these sermons pf truth, and so proceed, to ,the next direction, how to preserve our veracity. II. The second rule to preserve veracity is this ; ac- custom yourselves to a sober, modest way of speaking, and avoid all those methods of speech that border upon falsehood. I shall mention a few of them, to give suffi- cient notice of what I mean. Some persons affect to be certain of every thing they speak, and pronounce all that they say with the highest assurance. If they are relating matters of fact, which they only learn by report, they tell you every circumstance without the least hesitation, and endeavour even in a du- bious matter to make the hearer believe it with the highest confidence : They are never in the wrong, never doubtful whether they are in the right or no. If they are
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