6, 8. The heart of man, filled by sin with every abomination, and producing every evil motion, corrupts all the members of the body, and directs them to evil, rendering them "servants of uncleanness and of iniquity to iniquity," as Paul speaks, Rom. vi. 19. But the tongue is more particularly set on fire thus, by that evil corruption, as a fire and a world of iniquity, so that it defileth even the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, by urging it violently on, like an unquenchable fire, and like a wild beast, that is un tameable. Therefore holy men have been so careful and circumspect with respect to their tongue, and they have endeavoured to bridle it, like an unruly horse. David said, Psalm xxxix. 1. “I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridie." We may therefore, with that man after God's own heart, compare the tongue to a city, which is well provided with bulwarks of teeth, and doors of lips, and yet hath need of a guard to watch, and to defend it against tumults within, and the assaults of enemies without hear him therefore pray, Psalm cxli. 3. "Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, keep the door of my lips." It is also remarkable, that there is only a single guard, that is, one commandment in the law, against other sins, but against the sins of the tongue there is a double guard of two commandments: it was not enough that God required in the first table of the law, and in the third commandment, that we should watch against the sins of the tongue, but he chooseth to do it also by this ninth commandment, that the tongue may not be perverted to bear false witness against our neighbour. The Lord commanding us to love our neighbour as ourselves, requires of us that we should conformably to this, honour our parents, not kill our neighbour, not commit adultery, nor steal : but how shall we keep these commandments, if we bear false witness against our neighbour? "Death and life," and thus all that is dear to our neighbour, "is in the power of the tongue," saith Solomon, Prov. xviii. 21. Therefore the Lawgiver manifests his wisdom by annexing this commandment to the foregoing. The instructor, in order to explain this commandment, shows II. What is commanded in it. 1. This commandment forbids "bearing false witness against our neighbour." We have shown before, that all men are our neighbours, because they are all made of one blood with us. We are called upon on many occasions to bear witness against our neighbours, but we must beware that we do not bear false witness against them, or otherwise than we know to be the truth; which is done "in judgment," when falsehood and iniquity are practised there in an ungodly manner : "In the place of judgment there is wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is iniquity :" this the preacher saw also in his time. Eccl. iii. 16. The Lawgiver hath also respect in a particular manner to bearing false witness in judgment, in which, when we are called upon to witness the truth, we answer and bear a false witness to injure our neighbour, as the Hebrew word tagnaneh, "to answer," intimates. This wickedness is frequently practised by different persons, who appear in judg ment, as, 1. By the "plaintiff" or accuser, who accuseth his neighbour 'falsely, by which he endangers his good name, his life and property, yea, his whole prosperity. Of this the Jewish council rendered themselves exceedingly guilty, when they accused Jesus, who was perfectly innocent, before Pilate, saying, "we found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Casar, saying that he himself is Christ, a king," Luke xxiii. 2. 2. By the defendant, when he denies the fault, of which he is justly accused, like Cain, who when he was cited before the divine tribunal, and asked "where his brother Abel was, said, I know not; am I my brother's keeper?" Gen iv. 9. He who fears not to do wrong, ought not to be afraid to confess that he hath done wrong, and to humble himself by submitting also to the proper punishment of his sin, with Achan, when Joshua required of him to confess and acknowledge his guilt, Joshua vii. 19-21. "Fools make a mock at sin but with the righteous there is favour," according to the words of the wise king, Prov. xv. 9. 3. It is not less abominable, when "witnesses" utter a falsehood against a person, who is unjustly accused. How lamentable was the case of Naboth, when "two men of Belial were suborned against thim, and witnessed falsely, Naboth bla hemed God and the king, and he was thereupon stoned!" 1 Kings xxi. 9-13. So also "the whole council sought false witness against Jesus, that they might put him to death," as the members of that council found also many false witnesses, who were nevertheless of no service to them, Matt. xxvi. 59, 60. "The Lord hates a false witness," Prov. vi. 16, 19. God ordered the judges to inquire diligently whether the witnesses testified a falsehood, and if they did, that it should then be done to them, as it would have been done to the accused, if he had been accused according to truth, Deut. xix. 16-21. Although the Law giver forbids bearing false witness against our neighbour to his hurt. we may nevertheless not bear false witness in his behalf to deliver him; for we may not deliver the guilty, and certainly not do evil, that good may come; and when we bear false witness for the guilty, we then bear false witness against the accuser, who is our neighbour also. 4. But still more atrocious than these are those wicked lawyers and attorneys, who defend false accusations, and by means of a smooth and eloquent tongue, or deceitful writings, darken the true circumstances of matters, mislead the judge, and delay a righteous sentence, so that an honest person can scarcely obtain justice. Such a lawyer was Tertullus, who pleaded in behalf of the Jews against Paul, Acts xxiv. 1-9. Verily such persons, who ought to assist the oppressed, and nevertheless load them still heavier, are pests of the human race, they promote the interest of hell, and des fend the causes of the devil. They may remain unpunished in this world, but the wo, with which they are threatened, will pursue them, and cleave to them: "Wo unto them that call good evil, and evil good," saith God, Isaiah v. 20. 5. But that which surpasseth all other abominations is the conduct of those unjust judges, who fearing neither God nor man, do not regard the causes of the righteous for a long time, like that ungodly judge, of whom the Saviour speaks, Luke xviii. 2-4. And it is still worse in judges to pronounce an unjust sentence: "He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are an abomination to the Lord," saith the wisest of kings, Prov, xvii. 15. Whether it proceed from the incapacity and unskilfulness of the foolish judge, who is like a child in understanding; See Eccl. x. 16. Isaiah iii. 4, 12; or from unrighteousness, when the judge will not hear the accused, nor permit him to defend himself, as the Jewish council pronounced sentence in such an unjust manner against the Saviour, and his servant Paul, John vii. 47-52. xvii. 19-21. Acts xxiii. 1-3; or on account of bribes and self-interest: so the judges of Judah were "companions of thieves, every one loved gifts, and followed after rewards," Isaiah i. 23; or because the judge is a respecter of persons; is a person a friend or an enemy, rich or poor, courageous or fearful, the unjust judge will pervert justice accordingly: "Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour," saith the Lawgiver, Lev. xix. 15. See also Exod. xxiii. 6-8. God denounceth a wo against such judges, VOL. II. 2 U and saith, that "he will ease and avenge himself of those adversaries of him," Isaiah i. 24. In the foregoing commandments only head-sins are mentioned; but their particular members are also comprehended under them: it is thus also here: when bearing false witness in judgment is opposed, it is then forbidden on other occasions also, as 4 "Falsifying the words of another," by giving them a sense different from that which they commonly have, and in which we know they were uttered. This is "that froward mouth, which we must put away from us, and those perverse lips, which we must put far from us," Prov. iv. 24. We misconstrue the words and meaning of another thus, either by adding something to our neighbour's words, by which they have an entirely different sense. The Saviour speaking of "the temple of his body," which he would raise up from the dead, saith, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up," John ii. 19, 21, but the Jews perverted his words by adding to them, when they accused him, "that he had said, I will destroy this temple, which is made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands," Mark xiv 38, when he had nevertheless not said, "I will destroy," but, "destroy ye;" he did not say, "the temple made with hands," but "this temple ;" neither had he spoken "of another, but of the same temple," which they should destroy; but all these words they added by a false testimony. Or when we leave out something, in order to falsify a person's words, like the devil, who, that he might induce Christ to tempt his Father by casting himself down from the pinnacle of the temple, said from Psalm xci. 11, that "God would give his angels charge concerning him to keep him;" but he leaves out, "in all thy ways," Mat. iv. 6. We also falsify a person's words by gestures, whereby we give them another and a wrong colour. A person utters something that was said in jest, or from compassion, in such a manner, by an alteration of his countenance or voice, as if it were spo ken in earnest, or from contempt. An abominable and false conduct! Who can be safe from persons of such a froward heart and perverse lips? 2. This commandment forbids also "backbiting," by which a person reports to others the secrets and failings of his neighbour, to his hurt. "A talebearer revealeth secrets," saith the wise king, Prov. xi. 13. Whether a person do this from talkativeness, and for pastime, like "the Athenians, who spent their time in nothing else, but telling or hearing some new thing," Acts xvii. 21, and like the tattling" women, of whom Paul speaks, 1 Tim. v. 13; or from a fondness of ridiculing a person; as Job was the song and by word of contemptible persons, Job xxx 9; or from a desire of pleasing others, who are delighted with hearing their neighbour's secrets and evi doings, as Doeg informed Saul concerning David, by which it came to pass, that so many priests, and other inhabitants of Nob were slain, 1 Sam xxii. 7, 19; or from envy and displeasure with our neighbour, that we may raise up new enemies against him. And these persons, that they may not be accounted backbiters, will, in the first place, relate that which is good of their neighbour, and when another speaks well of him, they will assent to it, yet they will add a "but," or an "alas;" it is true, they will say, he hath that good quality, but it is a pity that he hath such and such a failing; and thus a person is condemned by himself for not doing well, and this is nevertheless an evil which is common under the sun, and occasions much disturbance. And surely those are not innocent of backbiting, who do not discountenance such backbiters, but show that they are pleased with them by listening to them, and encourag ing them to say all that they know: "He is a wicked doer, who giveth heed to false lips, and a llar, who giveth ear to a naughty tongue," Prov. xvii. 4. 3. Slandering" our neighbour, that is, belching out words of reproach against bim, either when he is present or absent. David calls this, Psalm xv. 3, "Taking up a reproach against our neigh bour." Therefore the slanderer is also called a reproacher, Psalm xliv. 16, as Shimei acted toward David, Ahab toward Elijah, and the Jews toward the apostles, 2 Sam xvi. 5—9. 1 Kings xviii. 17. Acts xvii. 6. It is exceedingly wicked to do this with words; for "whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker," Prov. xvii. 5, but it is worse and intolerable to do it with pasquils, and reproachful writings; no man can be reputed honest longer than such a reproachful writer chooseth; but let him conceal himself as much as he pleases, the Lord will find him out, and recompence his reproaches upon him. 4. The commandment concerning bearing false witness forbids also "judging, or joining in condemning any man rashly or unheard. "We have just now shown how this is doue in judgment: but it is done also out of judgment; to which we must nevertheless not refer judging that a person is in the way to perdition, and warning him against it, when he discovers manifest tokens of his graceless condition by his exceeding ignorance, his abandoning of himself to the world, his hatred of the good, and of that which is good, and by other sins; for we must judge thus, that we may "save him by |