Chap. IV.]

OATHS.

195

in a court of justice, and utter deliberate falsehood, under thesanctions and solemnities of an oath. We may well believe,that many a man may be frequently guilty of lying, who willshrink from committing perjury.

We may be further satisfied of the security of oaths, by ad-verting to the difference between perjury and ordinary lying.Perjury is a sin of greater deliberation than lying. The thoughtof God and of the sanctions of religion is brought home to theunderstanding and conscience of the juror at the time, by theadministration of the oath. If he offends, therefore, it is with ahigh hand, —his offence is a more daring defiance of the sanc-tions of religion, and a more daring contempt of the knowledge,power, and justice of God, than ordinary lying, in which theremay be nothing to lead the mind to any special reflection uponthe Deity.

Again, perjury violates confidence more flagrantly than lying.Mankind must trust to one another; and if they cannot trust toan oath, they have nothing to which they can trust. Hence,legal adjudications, which govern and affect every right and inter-est on this side of the grave, of necessity proceed and dependupon oaths. Perjury, therefore, in its general consequences,strikes at the security of reputation, property, and even of lifeitself. The same credit is not given to statements made in theordinary way ; and, therefore, lying cannot do the same mischiefwith perjury.

Moreover, God directed the Hebrews to swear by his name ; *and was pleased, “ in order to show the immutability of his owncounsel,” f to confirm his covenant with that people by an oath ;neither of which things, it is probable, he would have done, had henot intended to represent oaths as having some meaning and effectbeyond the obligation of a mere promise ; which effect must beowing to the more severe punishment with which he will vindi-cate the violation of oaths.j: Finally, the declarations of judges,lawyers, and other official persons, are nearly if not quite uniformin favor of oaths, as securities for the attainment of truth in

* Deut. vi. 13; x. 20. t Heb. vi. 17.

i Paley's Mora] and Political Philosophy, pp. 114,115.