On the moral Abuse of Words.

ISAIAH V. 20.

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil.

THE fentiment which the prophet intended to convey by these words was probably this, that the most fatal confequences are to be apprehended from that moral depravity which confounds men's ideas of right and wrong, and leads them to regard that conduct as innocent and meritorious, which is in fact bafe and criminal: and this is, doubtlefs, an important practical doctrine, which might profitably employ our present meditations. But I have made choice of the words, in order to direct your attention to a topic,

which, though of a more limited nature, may perhaps be found productive of much feasonable and useful inftruction. The topic I mean is, the mischievous effects of the propenfity, so common among mankind, to affix false names to moral qualities and characters-to glofs over culpable difpofitions, and bad actions, by giving them a foft appellation-and, on the contrary, to depreciate real excellence, by annexing to it fome degrading term, thus calling evil, good; and good, evil.”

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It has long been well understood, that accuracy in the use of words is of fundamental importance in writing: but it has not, perhaps, been equally attended to, that the fame kind of accuracy is equally neceffary, both in the cultivation of the understanding, and in the conduct of life, With respect to the former, I might eafily prove to you, by a variety of inftances, that a great part of the difputes which are carried on with so much acrimony, whether on political, moral, or religious

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religious fubjects, are owing either to a careless misapprehension, or a wilful mifinterpretation of the meaning of words; and that, in order to bring many controverfies to an amicable termination, little more would be neceffary, than to prevail upon the difputants to fettle with precifion the fignification of the leading terms which they employ, and always to use them, on both sides, exactly in the same fenfe. But, waving this view of the fubject, I fhall confine myself in this dif course to the confideration of the unhappy influence of the inaccurate ufe, or the defigned perverfion and abufe, of words, upon moral conduct: and I fhall find no difficulty in collecting examples of this perverfion and abufe from real life, abunof the dantly fufficient to convince you neceffity of being continually upon your guard, left you be perverted in fentiment, and inifled in conduct, by the common practice of calling evil good, and good evil.

I fhall

I fhall first enumerate feveral instances in which men give fair names to foul actions, or call evil good; remarking, as we proceed, the mifchievous confequences arifing from this abuse of words.

At the head of the lift, no one instance of this moral perverfion of language can be more properly placed than that which difgraces almost every page of the history of religion, calling intolerance and perfecution, zeal for the cause of God. To reftrain men by violent means from the free exercise of their rational powers on fubjects of infinite moment to each indi vidual, must have, at firft fight, appeared fuch a flagrant act of injustice-to check the unreferved communication of ideas on queftions, on which it must be for the general benefit that knowledge fhould be as far as poffible extended, must have been fo evidently inconfiftent with political wisdom-to fubject confcientious inquirers after truth, and fincere profeffors of religion to grievous pains and penalties

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penalties for actions in their nature highly meritorious, could not but have been thought fuch a grofs violation of equity and humanity-that, while civil or ecclefiaftical rulers viewed this treatment of their fellow-creatures in its full deformity, under its proper appellation, perfecution, it is fcarcely to be conceived that they fhould have been able to reconcile themfelves to fo heinous an enormity. From the naked character of a perfecutor, the heart of man would revolt with horror. But change the term by which this violent ftretch of power is defcribed-instead of perfecution, call it zeal for the glory of God, and for the purity of the Christian faith, and immediately it affumes a new afpect the folly, the injustice, the inhumanity, of the proceeding, inftantly vanish; the feelings of nature are on a fudden benumbed; the honest struggles of confcience are fuppreffed; and the perfecutor, instead of reproaching himself for barbarity, ranks himself with pride

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