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upon every Word I am apt to fwear to it, this is an undoubted fign that either I intend to deceive in that particular, or else that I am so used to lye, that I cannot expect to be believed without an Oath.

5. This is a Vice most distasteful and ungrateful to all the reft of Mankind, most strangely offenfive to those we converse with. The Talk of him that fweareth much, faith a wife Man, maketh the Hair to ftand upright, and their Brawls make one stop his Ears. If Men harden themselves against other Arguments taken from the Wickedness and Irreligion of this Practice, yet this methinks ought to prevail fomething with those that pretend to Honour and genteel Carriage, viz. that this is the most uncivil and the rudeft thing that can be offer'd to other Men; it rankly favours of Ill-manners and want of Breeding, for them to be continually defying of that Being which all other Men adore, and fpitting out their Venom against that God whom the rest of Mankind profefs to love and honour above all things. Should one of our hectoring Swearers come into a Company, the greatest part of whom he knew highly valued and prized an absent Friend, never mention'd him but with all the Kindness and Refpect imaginable, called him their Patron, profeffed mighty Obligations to him, and believed him one of the best of. Men; would it pafs for a thing tolerably becoming or decent for him, every word, when no Occafion was offer'd, to fall a bespattering P 2

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and villifying this Perfon, fo dear to the Company, and to speak of him with the greatest Contempt and Defpite? Now fuch is God to the greatest part of the World; they own all that they have or are to be from him alone, that he is their great Benefactor and Saviour, that they are infinitely engaged to him, that they defire his Love and Favour above all this World: how is it fufferable then, in Men of Fashion and Repute efpecially (as is the common Practice of too many) when they meet with Perfons that are more than others concerned for the Honour of God, to be ever andı anon with their profane Talk pelting this holy Being, polluting his Name with their filthy Speech, outbraving his Majesty, chufing to do that which they know grates most harthly upon other Men, and which they hate above any thing in the World?

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6. That which mightily aggravates this Madness and Folly, is, that it is fuch a Sin as we have no Temptation to commit, nothing to move or sway us toward it; it gratifies, no natural Inclination, it produceth no Pleasure; no Gain or worldly Profit accrues to us by it; it affordeth us not fo much as any fhort tem poral Recompence for the venture we run, and the dangerous Hazards we expofe our felves to. Other forts of Sin have fomething to excuse them, our Natures and bodily Tempers may strongly incline us to fome other Sins: The covetous Man hath his full Bags and great Eftate to plead in his behalf; and as for

the

the voluptuous Epicure, his Appetites and Lufts are tickled with the Variety of fenfual Delights; and the ambitious Man hath the Contentment he takes in his Honours and Advancements, to answer for the lofs of the Peace of his Mind and a good Confcience; the Drunkard pleads the goodness of his Wine and Company; the unclean Perfon talks of the refiftlefs Charms of Beauty; but the Swearer felleth his Soul for nothing: fo that of all wicked Men he is the most filly and unreasonable, and makes the worst and maddeft bargain for himfelf. Nay, other ways of finning may be almoft called Wisdom, if compared to this; for other Sinners either project fomething future, and are delighted with the Hopes and Expectations of it, or enjoy fomething prefent that pleases them, and fatisfies fome craving inordinate Defire: but this is pure finning for finning's fake, only in compliance with an ugly imperious Cuftom too much in vogue and fashion.

7. There is no kind of Sin whatever, that does fo highly provoke God Almighty to inflict fome remarkable exemplary Judgment on a Perfon or Nation, even in this Life, as the practice of vain fwearing by his Name. This almoft neceffitates him to thunder from Heaven after some extraordinary manner, to vindicate his Power, and Justice, and Authority; all which are fo notoriously abufed, blafphemed and challenged by fuch hideous Oaths and dire Imprecations. He is e'en forc'd by P 3 fuch

fuch horrid Defiances and outrageous Darings of him, to fhew his Strength and Might to the Children of Men, by fending fome grievous Plagues and fore Calamities amongst them, by which they may perceive he will not always bear fuch bold Profanations of his Truth, and Honour, and Majefty; but will at length return thofe Curfes upon Men which they have fo often wished to themselves: that he will at laft punish and avenge himself of those who have fo openly and frequently provoked him to it, by their dreadful Appeals to him.

The whole Nation of the Jews, that forlorn and forlaken People, the Scorn of all the Earth, are to this Day a ftanding Monument of God's implacable Anger and Wrath upon a like Occafion, when they fo folemnly curfed themselves, and prayed that the Blood of the Holy Jefus might be upon their Heads, and the Heads of their Children. God is jealous and tender of his Name, and will not always fuffer it to be scorn'd and reproach'd. Because of Swearing,faith the Prophet,the Land mourneth. God is engaged in Honour to right himfelf, and maintain his Name from fuch foul Contempt, left Men fhould begin to think, either that he is not at all, or that he is deaf to all their loud Calls and impudent Invocations.

8. Laftly, I only add this one peculiar confideration to you who now hear me, affembled in this Place for the Worship of that Great God, for the Honour of whofe Name I am pleading

pleading; That this Custom of vain Swearing is the great Scandal to our Church of England, and thofe that adhere to it in its prefent Eftablishment. This was of old, and is ftill the great Objection against those of the Churchway, as they ordinarily call us, that fo many among us allow themselves in this finful Prac tice; nay, not only ufe it, but look on it as their Credit fo to do. You fee the Fruit, they fay, of your Common Prayers, of your Read Devotions, of your Decent and Orderly Worfhip which you so much plead for. You may judg of the Goodness and Efficacy of that Way, by those Oaths and Curfes that abound fo much in those of your Profeffion. And really, what can we answer to this Charge? Can we abfolutely deny it? Muft we not rather confefs, amongst Friends at least, that it is in fome meafure true, that the Separatifts and Diffenters do more generally restrain themselves from this leud Practice, and do not fo ordinarily allow themselves in this Vice, as too many among us do? Now it is not a fufficient Answer to this, to recriminate, and tell them of as great Sins that they are guilty of; that they can lye, cheat and diffemble, are factious and ungovernable, tho they will not fwear; which is fometimes replied in this cafe: for this, tho ever fo true, is not fufficient to wipe off this Difgrace and Reflection from our Church. But the true anfwer to this is, That thus it always was in the World, and ever will be; that where there are different Opinions

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