Life of those little polite Affemblies; and if they were confined to utter nothing but ftrict Truth, there would be an End of all Converfation, and the prettiest Orators in the Circle would grow as dull as a WatchLight, and as infipid as an old Almanack; and, after all, where is the Hurt of making an ingenious Story, or an embroidering and embellishing a real Fact, where the Design is only to divert and instruct the Company? Inventers of Fables have always been ranked among the wife Men and Philofophers of antient Times, nor has it ever been objected to any of the wife Antients or Moderns, that they have made Beafts and Birds, Trees and Flowers, talk like Men of Senfe, for the Correction and Inftruction of their Betters.

The Tenth Commandment, after all that has been said about the rest, seems perfectly needless and superfluous, and commands direct Impoffibilities. For fhew me the Man that is tied for Life to an ill-natured, four, proud, difagreeable Rib, who would not wish to make an Exchange for the chearful, good-natured, agreeable Spouse of his Neighbour? Who would not wish to change his own old, inconvenient, ruinous House, for a new and convenient one of his Neighbour's? So that a Prohibition of this kind is a direct Contradiction to the very Law and Light of Nature, which must, in all Cases, be consulted and obeyed, as the infallible Rule of our moral and religious Conduct.

The Premifes tenderly confidered, we cannot but hope that care will be taken fo to explain, amend, or repeal these obfolete Statutes, that they may no longer give Offence to People of Rank, Distinction,

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and Figure, in Pursuit of their Intereft or Pleasures. But if it shall be thought fit, by the Wisdom of our Superiors, to continue them still in Force, it may be with fuch Restrictions and Limitations, as not to extend to any but the low uneducated Part of Mankind, who have neither Senfe, nor Reason, nor Politeness enough to govern and conduct themselves. And, if I may be allowed the further Liberty of giv ing my Opinion and Advice in the prefent Cafe, I beg leave to propofe certain Heads of a Bill to be offered to the House upon a proper Occafion, as follows:

THAT whereas a certain immemorial superstitious

Practice has prevailed in these Nations, for certain old Women of both Sexes, fuch as Grandmothers, Nurfes, Maiden Aunts, School-dames, and Parfons, to teach and inftruct the Children even of Proteftant Parents in certain antient Jewish Laws, commonly called The Ten Commandments; which faid fuperftitious Practice, notwithstanding the many Attempts which, from time to time, have been made by certain judicious and well-meaning Perfons towards a thorough Reformation, still fubfifts among us, in Defiance of all the natural and religious Rights and Privileges of a free Proteftant People; it has been long thought, by all true Loyers of Liberty, to be almoft an infupportable Burden, who therefore wifh and hope to be relieved from it by a proper Authority. But whereas the faid Jewish Laws and Precepts have been, by the Ignorance and Superftition of our Forefathers, unhappily incorporated in the Laws of our Country, and made a Part of our legal Constitution,

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and cannot, without the Appearance of Difficulty and Danger, be intirely repealed; it is therefore thought proper fo to limit and explain their Meaning and Obligation, as in a great measure to prevent the feveral Hardships and Inconveniences arifing from the mistaken Notions and Prejudices about them. And whereas it is now univerfally agreed and confeffed, that the Good of Society, and the civil Interefts of Mankind, are the fole Foundation, Rule, and Meafure of all religious Inftitutions, and that nothing ought to be deemed to be of religious Obligation, but so far as it contributes to that important End. And whereas it appears from the concurrent Testimony of all Ages, that there have been great Princes, mighty Conquerors, able Ministers, cunning Politicians, gallant Commanders, eminent Lawyers, wife Magiftrates, fkilful Physicians, and eloquent Preachers, who had either never received, or utterly renounced, these popular Superftitions, and acted with an apparent Contempt of all Obligations vulgarly fuppofed to arife. from them; we are thence induced to believe, that the following Explanation and Limitations of the faid Precepts will be of fingular Ufe and Benefit to the Subjects of this Realm, the Ease of tender Confciences, and the natural and religious Liberties of all his Majefty's loving Subjects.

The First Commandment is a manifest Impofition upon the natural Rights and Liberties of Mankind. It is confeffed on all hands, that every true free-born Proteftant has a Right to judge freely of all Articles of Religion that fhall be proposed for his Belief or Practice, and to determine according to the Kind or Degree of Evidence that shall be offered him; but if a Man

a Man fhall fee no more Evidence for one than for five hundred, or none at all, it will be an extreme Hardship to require of him any Belief or Practice, which he, upon the best Evidence, fhall judge un reafonable.

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The Second is quite an unneceffary Commandment for if a Man fees no Evidence of a Subftance, he will be little concerned about the Shadow: And for a Man of Senfe to be folicitous about the Picture, Image, or Statue of a Person in nubibus, which he has no Reafon to believe ever did or could exift in rerum natura, is a Suppofition too grofs to be admitted.Be it therefore enacted, &c. That, from and after Day of next ensuing, no Perfon or Perfons fhall prefume to declare, affirm, or teach, by Word, or Writing, that these two Commandments are, in their own Nature, of univerfal Obligation to all Sorts of People; but fhall freely own, teach, and declare, that they are Points of mere Speculation, of an indifferent Nature, of which every true Proteftant has Liberty to judge, pronounce, and practife according to the beft Light and Evidence that he or she fhall have, and no otherwise,

The Third Commandment, however intended for the Good and Benefit of Society, in which the Good and Benefit of every particular Member of the faid Society is neceffarily included, has been perverted to certain fuperftitious Ufes and Purposes, as if there were an inherent Holiness in the Sound of that Name, and the very Letters that compofe it; fo as that it ought never to be mentioned but on certain folemn and fignificant Occafions, fuch as Prayers, Benedictions, &c. and with certain Marks and Tokens of Reverence

Reverence and Devotion, which are no ways expreffed or implied in the Letter of the faid Commandment, as interpreted by the best Critics and Commentators. One of thefe, a celebrated Writer, a great Critic, and an excellent Cafuift, has laid down an infallible Rule of Interpretation in his matchless Book called, A plain Account of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, That no other Meaning or Interpretation is to be put upon the Words of Scripture, but fuch as is agreeable to the common Rules of Speaking upon the like Occafions. Now the Expreffion of saying or doing a thing in vain, is fo plain and obvious, that no Man, even of common Sense, can mistake it. It always does, and can, fignify no more nor no less, than the doing or saying a thing to no Purpose, to no Advantage, to serve no Intereft, or procure no Good to the Person that does or fays it, or to his Family, Friends, and Dependents; and can never include those who never use that Name, but with fome direct Profpect of Intereft and Advantage to themfelves, which (according to the fundamental Rule before laid down) is neceffarily included in the Intereft of the Public, and confequently infeparable from it. So then he cannot be faid to take that Name in vain, who makes ufe of it by way of Oath, Promife, Affirmation, Negation, Declaration, or Affertion of any fort or kind, as a Qualification or Means of obtaining any honourable or gainful Poft, Office, or Employment, Ecclefiaftical, Military, or Civil; or who makes use of it to fupplant a Rival, amufe a fufpicious Friend, or ruin a profeffed Enemy.

Be it therefore enacted, that if there be any Perfon or Perfons fo weak and fuperftitious, as to understand

* Freface vi,

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