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ANON.


Deut. 6:13: (the latter part of the verse) - And SHALT swear by his name.

There is a set of men in the world, who need only be known in order to be despised; men, who are a constant subject for ridicule, and justly the derision of the gay and more refined part of the human species: men who are so stupid, as to be more enamoured with the pleasure of a benevolent action, more charmed with giving joy to the helpless and miserable, with drying up the tears of the distressed, or soothing the agonies of the bursting heart, than with the lordly pride of wanton power, than in rendering the wretched more wretched, than with spurning at patient merit, or even the satisfaction of racking tenants, hoarding wealth, or all the high gratification of a debauch; more delighted with the visionary pleasure of indulging their own reflections, and the applause of a - conscience, than with the charms of a bottle, the transports afforded by the lascivious wanton, or all the high-wrought indulgences of a luxurious appetite. And, in one word, to sum up their character, more afraid of a false, or even an unnecessary oath, than of the point of a sword.

It is with these poor mean-spirited wretches, that I am now to combat, in order to shew the great advantages that attend a strict compliance with the injunction in my text, And thou shalt wear by his name. I shall not here take up your time in examining the context, or even in considering what is meant by the command in my text, which some would confine to the necessary oaths, taken in a court of judicature; but, like all sound divines, and in compliance with the custom of all good commentators and disputants, consider the passage bethren us, in that latitude, which is most adapted to answer my particular design.

One man takes his text, and endeavours, with the most elaborate eloquence, to prove, that the bible he preaches from is a work not fit to be read; that it never was designed for the instruction of such blockheads as his audience, who, by look ing into it, incur damnation. What concerns all to know, must be read by none but the priest, or whom he shall appoint. How glorious that revelation, which, in the hands of the multitude, points the way to misery, hut, in those of the church, to eternal life! It is she alone, w ho can infallibly inform us, that lose, and charity, and compassion, and tenderness, so often mentioned in that old hook, the bible, mean spite, and hatred, and inquisition, and burning faggots.

Another, with pious snuffle, and all the moving force of sighs and groans, proves, that the God of truth is the God of falsehood; and, finding his scheme contradicted, by the language of scripture, from scripture nicely distinguishes between a revealed and a secret will, both opposite, both contradictory to each other. Scripture he proves to be a lie; his opinion he proves to be true from scripture. He wisely turns out common sense, to make room for grace. He degrades reason, as being in league with the devil, and, in the pious ardour of his heart, saves himself the trouble of thinking, and cries out - I believe, because it is impossible. Ye deists rejoice in these our friends! Admit them into your societies! They, like you, can darken truth, they have assisted you in setting fragment against fragment; and, when the dazzling sunbeams shine too bright, can wisely close their eves. Let me too be permitted to rank myself on this side, and, countenanced by such great authorities, to take a text that suits my present purpose, regardless of every other passage that may be supposed to contradict it: nay, regardless of the text itself, any further than as it may serve for a plausible introduction to what I have to offer.

It is sufficient, therefore, that w e have here a command to swear by the name of God; which I shall take, in the common and vulgar sense of the word swearing, to mean, not only all manner of oaths, but whatever goes under the denomination of swearing in conversation, as oaths, curses, and imprecations.

In treating this subject I shall consider,

I. The many advantages attending the frequent use of oaths, curses, and imprecations: in which will be sufficiently proved, the falseness of that assertion, that swearing is attended with neither pleasure nor profit.

II. Answer some objections. And,

III. Make a suitable application.

I. I am to consider the many advantages arising from a frequent use of oaths, curses, and imprecations.

In the first place, this genteel accomplishment is a wonderful help to discourse; as it supplies the want of good sense, learning, and eloquence. The illiterate and stupid, by the help of oaths, become orators; and he, whose wretched intellects would not permit him to utter a coherent sentence, by this easy practice, excites the laughter, and fixes the attention, of a brilliant and joyous circle. He begins a story, he is lost in a vacuity of thought, and would instantly, to his eternal dishonour, become silent, did not a series of oaths and imprecations give him time to gather up, or rather seek the thread of his discourse: he begins again, again he is lost, but having complimented his friends, by calling for eternal damnation on them all, he has thought what to say next, and finds him¬self able to proceed with a sentence or two more. Thus he still talks on, while thought follows slowly after. Blest expedient! by the use of which, polite conversation glides on uninterrupted, while sound is happily substituted in the place of sense: by this, mankind communicate familiar noises to each other, with as little intellectual ability and labour, as a pack of well-matched hounds; so often the object of their delight and admiration! 0 how preposterously absurd then! how false, and contrary to experience, is that ridiculous assertion, that swearing is attended with neither pleasure nor profit! For what higher pleasure, what greater profit and advantage can a man enjoy, than to find, that, in spirit of nature, who has directed him to be silent, lie can hear himself talk - talk without stammering, or drawling out each heavy sentence, that lags behind to wait on thought. Ye idiots rejoice! ye coxcombs, whose costive brain ne’er dictated the flowing sentiment, be glad! Ye, whom learning never fired, in stupid ignorance lost, exult! Blest with ease and indolence, you talk, and those, like you, admire; while listening demons clap their wings, and grin applause.

Forgive me, Sirs, it, fired with my subject, I lose my usual moderation; for who can help being warmed at the mention of such glorious advantages as these? Advantages, which level the conversation of the mighty, and raise the oratory of the carman and porter. Here the lowest frequently excel; the plowman, with clouted shoon, outvies his competitors, and practices the vices of the gentleman, with more success than the lord of the manor, or the splendid courtier, though adorned with star and garter. Here no abilities, no learning, are necessary, no studious hours are required to attain perfection. Tropes and figures, all the flowers of oratory, all the pedantry of the schools, are vain and useless trumpery, compared to these ornaments: they require pains and study, nor can be applied without judgment, and the toil of reading what are foolishly called, the ingenious and polite authors: but swearing is, as I have said, learning to the ignorant, eloquence to the blockhead, vivacity to the stupid, and wit to the coxcomb.

Secondly, Oaths and curses are a proof of a most heroic courage, at least in appearance, which answers the same end. For who can doubt the valour, the intrepidity of him who braves the thunder of heaven, who affronts the most formidable being in the universe, and treats with contempt, that all enlivening principle, which sustains and animates the whole creation? To what a noble elation is the heart of the coward conscious, when he thus defies the Almighty, and imprecates the fires of hell! Let the blustering bully domineer, let him roar out his curses, and threaten all who dare provoke the vengeance of his potent arm; let him terrify by a surly frown, and intimidate when, with portly gait, he vents ten thousand oaths and curses on the wretch, who impudently presumes to oppose his mighty will - who dares doubt his courage? Who can believe, that the cane, or the toe, when duly applied, have such magic power, as to make him twist and writhe himself like a serpent, till, with this exercise, his joints, and his mind, become so supple, that he can bend and cringe and ask pardon? Let the meek soldier boast his deeds of war, and, with oaths and execrations lace the self-flattering tale; who can believe that so great a hero should have an antipathy to the sight of steel? Or that he, who challenges the blasting lightning to fall on his head, would tremble, and turn pale, at the flash of a pistol? No, this must never be imagined; for can it be supposed that he has less bravery in the field than in the tavern? With these blustering expletives, then, the coward may strut and look big, and every minute give fresh proofs of au invincible courage: lie may bravely sport with that being, whose would make the heavens and earth to tremble: lie may seem to snatch the vengeance from his uplifted hand, and throw it on his foe: lie may invoke the wrath of heaven: and who can imagine that he is afraid of death, when lie is continually calling for all the horrors of hell?

Thirdly, He hereby not only gives a proof of his courage, but informs the world, that lie is entirely divested of all the foolish prejudices of education, and has unlearned

All that the nurse, and all the priest have taught.

that he has not only shook off the shackles of enthusiasm, but has banished from his mind, that reverence of the deity, which is the foundation of every system of religion. He is not suspected of being such a tool as to want instruction, since it cannot be imagined, that lie has so dull a taste as to go to church, unless, if lie be a gentleman, to ogle the ladies; if a clown, to sleep; or, if a tradesman, in complaisance to the sober old women of both sexes, who happen to be his customers: and he has this additional advantage, that lie will never he taken for a pious churchman, a presbyterian, a quaker, or a methodist. And, in reality, he is so far from being a bigot to any religious principles, that he belongs to no religious society upon earth. That he is not, nor cannot be a Christian, is evident; for, what is christianity? It is extensive benevolence, humanity, and virtue, to which he bids defiance with every curse. He cannot be a deist, because they openly profess the utmost reverence for the deity; and, fur the same reason, he can neither he a Jew, or a Mahometan, or a follower of Confucius. No, nor even an atheist; since we cannot conceive, that lie would so often call upon God, if lie was thoroughly convinced there was no such being in the universe; however, he every minute lets us see, that he does not fear him. How unlicensed is his freedom, how glorious and unconstrained! Let the wretches, who meanly bend their wills, and regulate their actions, by the sage dictates of reason and conscience; who stoop to follow the rules of religion, and call them sacred; let these bridle their tongues, let these confine themselves within the narrow limits prescribed by reason and good sense; the swearer knows better; sense, and reason, and religion, are all subservient to his will, he disdains their fetters, and rules those which rule all the world beside.

Fourthly, and lastly, Another advantage which attends this vice of the gentleman, this noble accomplishment, is, that it sometimes raises him to dignity and honour. Under this head, indeed, I take a greater latitude and advert to a remote consequence of the practice of swearing: but, as there is such a close concatenation in all our habits, and virtue and vice are progressive in their very nature, I should not do complete justice to my subject, if I omitted the consideration of it in this particular view. When a man, therefore, by a happy association of ideas, joins to the other advantages of this vice, ideas of wealth and grandeur; when he sees no argument, that appears of any weight, to bind him down to the unthrifty rules of honesty, and his regard for his own private advantage is too strong to let him have any for the private property of his neighbour; what should hinder him, when a fair opportunity offers, from raising himself by the ruin of his neighbour, his companion, or his dearest friend? He has swore to a thousand lies in company, without any view of private advantage; what should prevent him then from taking one false oath, when the advantage is so considerable? Surely, neither conscience, nor reason, nor religion, can do this: no, that is impossible; for I, who am as infallible as any dignified priest, that ever mounted a pulpit, have asserted, that these are all subservient to his will.

Here the swearer, with an unbounded ambition, aspires to seize on wealth, and boldly to grasp at those riches, which fortune has foolishly given to a more deserving person; and this, in spite of JUSTICE and EQUITY, who are his professed enemies. Thus he rises above the multitude, and gains a last¬ing fame; not by blood and slaughter, but by cunning, deceit, and artifice; by bursting through the most solemn engagements, breaking in sunder the bonds of society, and only violating what all honest men hold sacred. Suppose, that lie fails in his attempt, and the property of the person lie has attacked remains inviolate: lie is conveyed to a castle, strong as that of a crowned head where no impertinent intruders dare appear to disturb his repose: for in the day time, he has a porter to stand at his gate; in the night his faithful attendants lock and bar his doors.

Surrounded with guards, he pays a solemn visit at the seat of JUSTICE; he has the honour of being admitted to the royal bench; lie converses with that sovereign personage herself, and for a considerable time, takes up the whole attention of her prime ministers, the lords of her court, who, assiduous to pay all due respect, wait his coming in their proper habiliments; and, though it be ever so early in the day, he is never received with the disrespectful negligence of au undress. The ceremony being over, he is reconducted by the same guards who brought him thither, and who dare not presume to leave him, till lie is safe within his palace. He now soon receives the reward of his baffled dexterity, the glorious fruit of his ambition. The day arrives, devoted to mirth and jollity; business and care are laid aside, and every labouring hand has now a holy day He walks, or rides in his triumphal car, attended by a numerous throng of gazing spectators: lie is mounted above their heads, and his neck, not his temples, adorned with a civic wreath, and his wrists with an embrasure, composed of a matter, something coarser, indeed, than that of pearls and diamonds. This is no sooner done, than gaping thousands scud forth shouts of joy, and bending low, even to the ground, pay him homage; then rising up, with loud acclamations, present their tribute, striving who most shall pay, who oftenest bend. He is covered, he is loaded, with their gifts, and sensibly touched with their bounty. The more he gains, the more unenvied here he stands, while all rejoice, and give the applause that is his due. But let his modesty be ever SO great, let his blushes he like the trickling drops of crimson, painting his bashful cheek, and prompting a willingness to retire from these honours; vet one hour, at least lie is restrained to stay, to receive the willing offerings of the multitude. Thrice happy man! had conscience, or bad reason sway’d, thou never hadst thus been blest; unknown thou mightest have lived, unknown have died.

II. I come now in the second place, to answer some objections: but as these, after what has been said, must appear extremely trifling, I shall be as concise as possible, and hasten to a conclusion. It is said,

In the first place, That the swearer acts in direct opposition to all the rules of right reason.

But how can this be called an objection against swearing? What have we to do with right reason? - We leave it to the dull wretches, the men of reflection: and yet there are some of these, who attempt to mimic us: but if they act inconsistently with their own abilities, let them hook to that. Au upright man is a downright fool, if he swears at all. Let those who can talk without it, extol their wonderous talents; they have no need of this polite vice to recommend them to the world. The squeamish wretch, who is afraid of a lie, has no need to swear to what he says, for he is certain that his word will be readily taken. But away with these yea and nay wretches, men born to be pointed at; the sheepish, the sober fools, who, regard less of the boundless liberty we enjoy, talk of rectitude of manners, religion, and conscience.

Secondly, and hastily, it is objected, that it is one of the most senseless, unnatural, rude, and unmannerly vices, that ever was invented.

This, it must be confessed, is paying a fine compliment to, at least, half the polite world. How can that be rude and un¬mannerly, which gives such a grace to conversation? ‘Tis true, we express ourselves strongly, and use none of those languid, sneaking, epithets in our discourse, which your modest men, your men of humanity make use of but as we talk without meaning, nobody can say that we mean ill. And, indeed, it is a very injurious expression, to say that this is unnatural, when so many of us have the honour of being universally deemed to be little better than naturals.

And now, Sirs, I have proved, so effectually, the great advantages, attending the practice of this genteel and fashionable vice, that there needs but one word by way of application.

Consider, 0 consider, how inestimable are the advantages I have mentioned! If there is any one here desirous of obtaining these, and yet is troubled, and intimidated, with the impertinence of a restless conscience, flying in his face, and threatening to haunt him, hike a ghost, let him but follow my advice, and conscience will fall asleep. Would he steel his heart against compunction, let him advance by degrees; if he is afraid of an oath, let him conic as near it as he can, let him cry, egad, damnation, and o’dram ye; let him thus chip and carve a few common-place expressions, to fit them to his conscience, and the business will be done. This, practice will render familiar, and the coward, who first trembled, at the thought of hell, will soon have the courage to call for damnation.

And now, ye who have long indulged this vice, who have arrived at perfection in this great accomplishment, and by this means, have gained that applause, which mature would have denied you, which reason refused, and conscience condemned: you, I say, who, by the assistance of this vice, have distinguished yourselves, either as the orator, the pimp, or the bully: you who, with more distinguished glory have graced the lofty pillory; and you who, under specious oath is of speedy marriage, have violated virgin innocence, and rewarded the maid, that loved you, with eternal infamy; consider these noble advantages, applaud, congratulate yourselves, and rejoice: you have hot stopped at the most flagrant impieties; you have challenged, and defied, the blasting power of heaven to do its worst, and with a disinterestedness, peculiar to yourselves, have generously sold the reversion of eternal, inexhaustible happiness, merely for the pleasure of affronting that great beneficent being, who has prepared it fur you, your indulgent creator, and almighty friend. How nobly ungrateful! how unselfish your conduct! Boast your bravery, and consider the wisdom of the exchange: for how blind must you be to every self-interested view, how deaf to the calls of self-love, while infinite unbounded felicity has no charms, when standing in competition with the delight of affronting a benefactor, with the pleasure of a curse, and the satisfaction of hearing your own impertinence! STUPIDITY, IGNORANCE, and FOLLY, are on your side: act therefore, like men, who profess to be their friends; and like the true enemies to REASON, RELIGION, VIRTUE, and COMMON SENSE. You have seen your practice justified with advantages, which you have never before thought of: if these have any weight, if these have any charms, let them have all their influence. To sum up all, let every man act consistently with his real character, and, by his indulgence of this practice, or his forbearance, let his abilities, or his fol¬lies, stand confessed.

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