MODERN POLICY. 285 



desire, got over the great obstacle, and digested 

 the plot for pious, it is easy to set all future 

 proceeding upon the score of liberty, safety, 

 religion : and, if he be constrained to use means 

 grossly unlawful, it is but to make them seem 

 holy in the application, and all is well. For it 

 is the humour and genius of the vulgar, when 

 they have once rushed into a party implicitly, 

 to prosecute it as desperately as if they were 

 under demonstrative convictions of its justice. 

 Finally, He must make a virtue of necessity, 

 because there is no other virtue which will so 

 easily be induced to serve his proceedings as 

 this ; she may well smile upon licentiousness, 

 who hath herself no law. 



COLASTERION. 



Let that great rule be received, that no man 

 can be necessitated to sin : our divines generally 

 damn an officious lie ; and the equity binds from 

 any officious sin. 



It would soon cut the nerves of the eighth 

 commandment, if necessities and urgencies, 

 though real, were pronounced a sufficient ex- 

 cuse for stealing. But that which our politician 

 calls necessity, is no more than necessity of 

 convenience, nor so much, except we interpret 

 that convenience, which may favour his own 

 ends, and so is convenient for his design. He 



