¡N APPENDIX TO SERMONS XLXXI. AND XXII. an There may be also a reason given why the scripture does not particularly make any sharp remark upon this falsehood of Rahab : for the great degree of her ignorance does much lessen her fault, though not cancel it. Awoman of 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 no scruple 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 scripture, both of saints and sinners, which are utterly unlawful in the sight of God, which yet have not an express censure passed upon them. Rahab's being an harlot is not censured in any part of her history ; nor Judah's defilingTamar his daughter -in-law; nor. Jacob and Rebecca's complication of lies to gain the blessing ; nor the most express and wicked lieofthe oldprophet in Bethel, though it was the cause of the death of another prophet; 1 Kings xiii. yet surely these were crimes of heinous guilt. The plain commands or pro- hibitions of scripture are the rules to govern our practice: Nor can we fetch the lawfulness or unlawfulness of any mat- ter offact from the mere silence of the historical part of scripture about it. Question IL If there aresome persons who have not a right to truth, may we not lawfully speak falsehood to them? Now to prove that some have not a right to truth, it is urged, that truth or veracity is a. virtue or duty of the social life: Butthere are many questions may be asked in the social life which the speaker has no right to be informed of, and therefore he has no right to truth when they are answered ; may we not then answer them with falsehood ? There are also somecharacters of persons who seem to have no part in the social life, as children who are not capable of judging for themselves, nor acting regularly in society ; may wenot speak a falsehood to them for their good ? There are some who practise no social virtue, such as knaves and cheats, thieves, and pilferers ; surely these haveno right to truth, who are ever dealing in falsehood ; and may we not cozenthem who would cozen us ? I will first offer two or three general an- swers to the question, and then descend to consider the particular instances. , Answer I. Truth seems to be a matter of eternal right and unchangeable equity. And there are general and express com- mands given us in scripture to speak the truth, and there are as express prohibitions of falsehood and lies. Nowif therewere any such exceptions as these against the general rule, I think God would have given us some plainer evidence of these exceptions in so important a point as truth is, upon which the welfare of
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