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APPÉNDIX
to
SERMONS
XX,
-XXI',
AND
XXIt.
come." And
he
adds concerning
these
slanderers, or
concerning
those
who
hold this
doctrine
of
doing
evil
with a good
design,
"
that their
damnation
is
just,"
ver.
8.
Answer
II.
The
case
of
Rahab
is
easily
adjusted
in
this
-manner,
without
allowing
a
lie
to
be
lawful: Ra.
hab,
though
she
was
a woman
of
evil fame
in
Jericho,
yet
had
heard of the
promise
of God
to
Israel, to esta-
blish them in
the land
of.0
anaan
;
she believed
this
pro-
mise,
and
under
the
influence
of
this faith
she
entertain-
ed
the
spies,
and thereby
assisted
the Israelites
in
the
conquest
of
that city;
so
far her action
is
approved
of
God, and mentioned
with
honour: But
she
used
a very
sinful method
in
compassing this
design, when
she told
a plain
lie
to
the messengers
of the
king.
The timorous-
ness
of
her temper
was
a
sore,
temptation
to
her; and
though
she
fell
into a criminal action,
yet God
so
far
excused
the
ill
conduct,
as
to
forgive the
falsehood;
and
thereby
put a
more signal
honour
upon
the eminence
of
her
faith.
Her
name stands therefore recorded
with
ho-
nour
in
scripture
among
believers.
But the
lie,
though
it
was
pardoned, remains
still
a
blemish
to
her charac-
ter.
There
may be alsó
a
reason
given
why
the
scripture
does
not
particularly
make any sharp remark upon
this
falsehood
of
Raliab;
for
the
great
degree
of
her
igno-
rance
does much
lessen
her
fault,
though
not
cancel it.
A woman
df
her character,
living in a
heathen country,
May
Well
be
supposed
to have
had little
knowledge
of the
sinfulness
of
so
beneficial
a
lie
as
that
was,
and
na
scru-
ple
about
it.
But
it
is by
no means
a
sufficient
justification
of
her
conduct,
that
the scripture
does
not
directly censure her
for lying; for
there
are
many
actions recorded
in
scrip-
ture,
both
of
saints and sinners, which
are utterly
un-
lawful
in
the,sight
of
God;
which
yet
have
not
an express
censure
passed
upon them.. Itahab's
being
an
harlot
is
not
censured
in
any
part
of
her history; nor
Judah's
de-
filing
Tamar
his
daughter
-in -law
;
nor
Jacob
and
Re-
becca's
complication
of
lies
to gain
the
blessing
;
nor the
most express and wicked
lie
of
the
old
prophet
in
Beth-
el,
though it
was
the cause
of
the
death
of
another pro-
phet;
i
Kings
xiii.
yet
surely these
were crimes
of