xviii. 17,

they who have the conscience to do mischief, will SERM. have the confidence also to disavow the blame and XVII. the iniquity, to lay the burden of it on those who are most innocent. Thus, whereas nothing more disposeth men to live orderly and peaceably, nothing more conduceth to the settlement and safety of the public, nothing so much draweth blessings down from heaven upon the commonweal, as true religion; yet nothing hath been more ordinary, than to attribute all the miscarriages and mischiefs that happened unto it; even those are laid at its door, which plainly do arise from the contempt or neglect of it; being the natural fruits, or the just punishments of irreligion. King Ahab by forsaking God's com- 1 Kings mandments, and following wicked superstitions, had 18. troubled Israel, drawing sore judgments and calamities thereon; yet had he the heart and the face to charge those events on the great assertor of piety, Elias: Art thou he that troubleth Israel? The Jews by provocation of divine justice had set themselves in a fair way toward desolation and ruin; this event to come they had the presumption to lay upon the faith of our Lord's doctrine: If, said they, we Joh. xi. 48. let him alone, all men will believe on him, and the Romans shall come, and take away our place and nation: whenas, in truth, a compliance with his directions and admonitions had been the only means to prevent those presaged mischiefs. And, Si Ti-Tertull. Apol. bris ascenderit in mania, if any public calamity did appear, then Christianos ad leones, Christians must be charged and persecuted as the causes thereof. To them it was that Julian and other pagans did impute all the concussions, confusions, and devastations falling upon the Roman empire. The sacking of

SERM. Rome by the Goths they cast upon Christianity": for XVII. the vindication of it from which reproach St.Austin

δεκτον τῆς

διαβολῆς. M. Ant.

did write those renowned books de Civitate Dei. So liable are the best and most innocent sort of men to be calumniously accused in this manner.

Another practice (worthily bearing the guilt of Tigi slander) is, being aiding and accessory thereto, by any-wise furthering, cherishing, abetting it. He that by crafty significations of ill-will doth prompt the slanderer to vent his poison; he that by a willing audience and attention doth readily suck it up, or who greedily swalloweth it down by credulous approbation and assent; he that pleasingly relisheth and smacketh at it, or expresseth a delightful complacence therein; as he is a partner in the fact, so he is a sharer in the guilt. There are not only slanderous throats, but slanderous ears also; not only wicked inventions, which engender and brood lies, but wicked assents, which hatch and foster them. Not only the spiteful mother which conceiveth such spurious brats, but the midwife that helpeth to bring them forth, the nurse that feedeth them, the guardian that traineth them up to maturity, and setteth

d Christianis temporibus detrahunt, et mala, quæ illa civitas pertulit, Christo imputant. De Civ. Dei, i. 1. iii. 31. They (saith that great father) detract from the Christian times, and impute the evils, which that city suffered, unto Christ.

e David, Psal. cv. 5. Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: TOTOY ¿ediwkov, him have I driven away, say the LXX.

Neque vero illa justa est excusatio, Referentibus aliis injuriam facere non possum. Nemo invito auditori libenter refert. Sagitta in lapidem nunquam figitur; interdum resiliens percutit dirigentem. Discat detractor, dum te videt non libenter audire, non facile detrahere. Hier. ad Nepot. Ep. ii.

them forth to live in the world; as they do really SERM. contribute to their subsistence, so deservedly they XVII. partake in the blame due to them, and must be responsible for the mischief they do. For indeed were it not for such free entertainers, such nourishers, such encouragers of them, slanders commonly would die in the womb, or prove still-born, or presently entering into the cold air would expire, or for want of nourishment soon would starve. It is such friends and patrons of them who are the causes that they are so rife; they it is who set ill-natured, base, and designing people upon devising, searching after, and picking up malicious and idle stories. Were it not for such customers, the trade of calumniating would fall. Many pursue it merely out of servility and flattery, to tickle the ears, to soothe the humour, to gratify the malignant disposition or ill-will of others; who upon the least discouragement would give over the practice. If therefore we would exempt ourselves from all guilt of slander, we must not only abstain from venting it, but forbear to regard or countenance it: for He is (saith the Wise Man) a Prov. xvii. wicked doer, who giveth heed to false lips; and a'

Posidonius relateth of St. Austin, that he had upon his table written these two verses;

Quisquis amat dictis absentum rodere vitam,

Hanc mensam indignam noverit esse sibi :

(He that loveth by ill speech to gnaw the life of those who are absent, let him know himself unworthy to sit at this table; or, that this table is unfit for him :) And if any there did use detraction, he was offended, and minded them of those verses, threatening also to leave the table, and withdraw to his chamber. Posid. cap. 22.

В Où пapadékŋ ákony μatalav, Thou shalt not receive (or, take up) a false report, saith the Law, Exod. xxiii. 1.

XVII.

SERM. liar, who giveth ear to a naughty tongue. Yea, if we thoroughly would be clear from it, we must shew an aversation from hearing it, an unwillingness to believe it; an indignation against it; so either stifling it in the birth, or condemning it to death being uttered". This is the sure way to destroy it, and Hedge thy to prevent its mischief. If we would stop our ears, thorns, &c. We should stop the slanderer's mouth; if we would resist the calumniator, he would fly from us: if we would reprove him, we should repel him. For, as the north wind driveth away rain, so (the Wise Man telleth us) doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.

ears with

Ecclus.

xxviii. 24. ita legit Cypr. Ep. 55.

These are the chief and most common kinds of slander; and there are several ways of practising them worthy our observing, that we may avoid them; namely these.

1. The most notoriously heinous way is, forging and immediately venting ill stories. As it is said of Psal. lii. 2. Doeg, Thy tongue deviseth mischief; and of anPsal. 1. 19. other like companion, Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit and as our Joh.viii. 44. Lord saith of the Devil, When he speaketh a lie, èк Twv idíwv λaλeï, he speaketh of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it. This palpably is the supreme pitch of calumny, uncapable of any qualification or excuse: hell cannot go beyond this; the

(Isa. xxxii. 7.)

h Beatus est, qui ita se contra hoc vitium armavit, ut apud eum detrahere nemo audeat. Hier. ad Celantiam.

1 Prov. xxv. 23. Αν μάθωσιν οἱ κακήγοροι ὅτι τῶν διαβαλλομένων μᾶλ λον ἡμεῖς αὐτοὺς ἀποστρεφόμεθα, παύσονται καὶ αὐτοὶ τότε τῆς πονηρᾶς ταύτης συνηθείας, καὶ διορθώσονται τὸ ἁμάτρημα, καὶ ἐπαινέσονται μετὰ ταῦ τα καὶ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς, ὡς σωτῆρας αὐτῶν γενομένους, καὶ εὐεργέτας ἀνακηρύξε ουσιν. Chrys. ̓Ανδρ. γ'.

cursed fiend himself cannot worse employ his wit, SERM. than in minting wrongful falsehoods.

2. Another way is, receiving from others, and venting such stories, which they who do it certainly know, or may reasonably presume, to be false; the becoming hucksters of counterfeit wares, or factors in this vile trade. There is no false coiner, who hath not some complices and emissaries ready to take from his hand, and put off his money and such slanderers at second hand are scarce less guilty than the first authors. He that breweth lies may have more wit and skill; but the broacher sheweth the like malice and wickedness. In this there is no great difference between the great Devil, that frameth scandalous reports, and the little imps, that run about and disperse them.

XVII.

μεύεις τὸν

pre- ; &c.

they

Chrys. in

Heb. xi. 3.

ἐλαττώμα

3. Another way is, when one without competent examination, due weighing, and just reason, doth admit and spread tales prejudicial to his neighbour's welfare; relying for his warrant (as to the truth of them) upon any slight or slender authority. This Tip?is a very common and current practice: men sume it lawful enough to say over whatever Δέον συσκιάς hear; to report any thing, if they can quote an au- Auxi ζειν καὶ συγ thor for it. It is not, say they, my invention; I tell úr rà it as I heard it sit fides penes authorem; let him a Tthat informed me undergo the blame, if it prove iμ, false. So do they conceive themselves excusable for &c. Ibid. being the instruments of injurious disgrace and damage to their neighbours. But they greatly mistake therein for as this practice commonly doth arise from the same wicked principles, at least in some degree, and produceth altogether the like mischievous effects, as the wilful devising and conveying slanBARROW, VOL. I. к к

τα πλη

σίον· σὺ δὲ