The practical divinity of the papists discovered to be destructive of Christianity and mens…

Sect. 10. Moreover, they may bear ⁽ⁱ⁾false witness, either privately, or in open Court, for their advantage; and if it do not much wrong another, it is but a small fault; so that if it do no wrong at all, it will be less than a small fault. On this account they may bear false ⟨p. 366⟩witness against a Protestant, or any other, whom they count Heretics, even when Estate or Life is concerned; for by their Laws and Doctrine his life is forfeited, and his goods confiscated, and so though by false testimony he lose both, yet he has no wrong, because he had no right to either. They may use fraud and deceit in bargains, to get what a Protestant sells, for little or nothing, yea, or to cheat him of all he has; for the deceit is not considerable in point of Conscience, but for the wrong it does; and here is no wrong in the case, for he cheats the Heretic of nothing that was his own, and so do's him no injury. They may use perfidiousness in breaking Compacts, Agreements, or Promises; for Perfidiousness, when it is ^(k)officious, and does but a little injury to those concerned, is one of the least sorts of faults by their doctrine; therefore, when it does no injury at all, it is less than the least: but by breaking promises, or any such Bond of faithfulness, which concerns the Estate of a Heretic, they do him no injury, because he has no Estate of his own, by their account. So that if a Papist should make a thousand promises, and confirm each of them with an Oath to a Heretic, that he will pay what he owes him, or restore to him what is his own, he sins not, though he never pay, nor restore a farthing of it; because nothing is due to a Heretic, nor is there any thing he can call his own. And this is not my inference only, but they themselves declare it to be the consequence of their principles; and what they ^(l)