fear, and pull him out of the fire," according to the exhortation of But we must refer to this, (a) holy Jude, in his epistle, vs. 23. judging that a person is or is not gracious from his prosperity or adversity, as the friends of Job decried him for a hypocrite, on account of his grievous afflictions: "No man knoweth either the love or hatred" of God, "by all that is before him. There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked," according to Eccl. ix. 1, 2. (b) Giving credit without further inquiry to every evil report concerning our neighbour, like Saul, who without any reason "heard the words of men,, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt," 1 Sam. xxiv. 10. This is "receiving a false report," which is forbidden, Exod. xxii. 1. We must refer also to this, (c) judging presently the worst of our neighbour from any particular event, which happens through the disposal of divine providence. Because "a viper fastened upon Paul's hand, the Barbarians judged that he was a murderer, whom, though he had escaped the sea, vengeance suffered not to live," Acts xxviii, 2-4. (d) It is still more unjust to misconstrue and condemn the virtuous conduct of a person. When Hannah prayed with a low voice from sorrow, Eli judged "that she was drunk," 1 Sam. i. 10-16, and the wicked Jews judged the same of the apostles from their speaking in every language by the Spirit, Acts ii. 13. "John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they said, Behold, a man gluttonous and a winebibber," Mat. xi. 18, 19. When he doth not allow himself time to eat and drink, his friends will lay hold on him, as if he were beside himself," Mark iii. 20, 21. Because people cannot endure serious godliness, therefore they will decry, as Pharisees, hypocrites and legalists, persons who are not satisfied with the common manner of living, but endeavour to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. They will not be judged themselves according to truth from their evil behaviour, and they will nevertheless repeatedly condemn others on account of their godliness. But such persons set themselves up for judges in the stead of God: "He that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come," saith Paul, 1 Cor. iv. 4, 5. They who act thus "speak evil of the law, and judge it as judges,” according to James iv. 11, 12. Therefore "judge not, that ye be not judged; for with what judgment ye judge ye shall be judged;" thus speaks the Lord, Mat. vii. 1, 2.

5. To this the instructor adds "all sorts of lies." By which we must understand, relating a matter for truth, which is nevertheless

not true, when a person knows not but that it is true; for he doth indeed tell a lie, but it is no lie in him, because he speaks according to the best of his knowledge; but he sins notwithstanding, because he might perhaps have known better, and he often speaks thus without necessity; but it is a complete lie, when a person speaks contrary to his better knowledge, and with a design to mislead others. Since now we bear false witness by all sorts of lies, there fore this commandment forbids, (a) Lying from custom, when a a person hath so accustomed himself to lying, that almost every word which he utters is a lie, and he can plead for it, as for a most certain truth, like "the Cretians, who were always liars," Titus į. 12, and like "the devil, who speaks lies, as of his own," John viii. 44. (b) Also lies by which a person guesses and supposeth a thing to be true, when he might nevertheless have known better, as the people of Antichrist, who are subject to "a strong delusion," and therefore "believe a lie," according to 2 Thess. ii. 11. (c) Hurtful lies, to injure our neighbour. So "the rich men of Judah were full of violence, aud the inhabitants thereof spoke lies, and their tongue was deceitful in their mouth," Micha vi. 12. (d) Lies for our profit and advantage are also hateful, as Gehazi experienced, when he was punished with leprosy, Kings v. 21-27. To which we must refer also officious lies, uttered to procure an advantage to our neighbour, or to deliver him from some imminent danger. (e) And further jocular hes, to divert ourselves and others, as the idle Israelites, "who made the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies," Hosea vii. 3. It is therefore a detestable conduct of certain persons to excuse lies, which are told for the sake of profit or pleasure, when nevertheless all lies without distinction are hated, condemned and punished by God, Psalm v, 6. Prov. vi. 19. xii. 22. Eph. iv. 25. Col. iii. 9. "We may not speak wickedly nor deceitfully for God," as Job saith, Job xiii. 7. Shall we then do it for ourselves, or for our neighbour? "We must give an account of every idle word," Matt. xii. 36. If the saints did sometimes lie, as Abraham, Gen. xii. 13-19. Isaac, Gen. xxvi. 7. Jacob, Gen xxvii. 19. 34. the midwives in Egypt, Exod. 1. 19, and others, we ought to censure, and not to imitate their conduct: the saints had also other infirmities, which ought not therefore to be approved of. Did Abraham say, that Sarah was his sister, it was also true, as he showeth, Gen. xx. 12. Did God bless the midwives in Egypt, it was not on account of their lies, but their godliness. And who can say that they did not speak the

truth, when they said, "the Hebrew women are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them?" Exod. i. 19.

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Finally, this commandment forbids also "deceit :" Not those wicked tricks and devices, whereby men abridge their neighbour of his property for this belongs to the eighth commandment. Neither doth it forbid deceiving our enemy with military artifices: for we are not obliged to inform our enemy of our intention to annoy him. God himself instructed Israel in such military stratagems, and commanded them to make use of them, Joshua, viii. 2. We must not condemn employing a holy wisdom, in order to convert our neighbour by the word: Paul "being crafty, caught the Corinthians with guile," 2 Cor. xii. 16. Neither is it censurable to behave as strangers, and to appear unwilling, in order to try a person, and to discover whether he will perform his duty, as the angels tried Lot, and the Saviour his disciples, Gen. xix. 2. Luke xxiv. 28, 29. But the deceit that is spoken of here proceeds from a malicious desire to insnare and mislead our fellowmen, to their hurt. And this is done, (a) by treachery, whereby a person pretends to be friendly, while he harbours a malignant hatred in his heart, which disposeth him to destroy his neighbour: "they speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak," saith David, Psalm xii. 2. See also Psalm xxviii. 3. Such deceivers are Joabs and Judasses, who kissed their neighbours deceitfully, 2 Sam. ii. 27. xx. 8-10. Matt. xxvi. 49. (b) By hypocrisy, whereby a person appears exceedingly devout externally, while his heart within is rotten, and all his designs are corrupt, as the Lord Jesus describes the hypocrites, Matt. xxiii. 27, and thus " men deceive themselves with vain imaginations," as James testifieth, James i. 22. The hypocrite is an abominable monster; for he lies even to the Lord, and to his Spirit, as if he would deceive the Allknowing. See Psalm 1xxviii. 36. Acts v. 3, 4, 9. (c) It is deceit also to flatter, and soothe our neighbour by praising him, and that often not according to truth; for we do thus deceive him: "A man that flattereth his neighbour, spreadeth a net for his feet," saith Solomon, Prov. xxix. 5. How detestable this is in preachers we may think and read, Isaiah iil. 12. Jer. vi. 14. xxiii. 14. (d) A person deceives not less by ambiguous words and mental reservations, which are usually called Mennonitish tricks. Of these we have spoken before upon the twenty-seventh Lord's day.

II. As no man is good, who only abstains from doing evil, but doth not do that which is good, therefore the Lord not only forbids

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bearing false witness, but he also commands us to have a proper regard to the honour of our neighbour. To which pertains,

1. "That we love the truth." The Lord saith, "love the truth," Zech. viii. 19. "God desires truth in the inward parts," Psalm li. 6. We will never beware of bearing false witness, unless the truth be dear and lovely in our eyes.

2. We must also "speak the truth uprightly, and confess it." We must beware of every reservation, and of all ambiguity in our words, and with Paul, we must "renounce the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness," 2 Cor. iv. 2, and with the citizens of Zion, we must "speak the truth in our hearts," according to Psalm xv. 2. We must especially speak the truth and confess it, when we are called upon to speak it, whether in judgment," a's Jesus being adjured by Caiaphas, confessed that he was the Christ, the Son of God," Matt. xxvi. 63, 64, or "in other dealings," when it may conduce to the advantage of our neighbour, and of the community: "Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear," saith Peter, 1 Peter iii. 15. Take heed nevertheless not to utter the whole truth without necessity. Solomon saith, Prov. xxix. 11, that "a fool uttereth all his mind ". When Samuel came to Bethlehem, in order to offer a sacrifice to the Lord, and to anoint one of the sons of Jesse, he declared the first, but not the second reason of his coming, 1 Sam. xvi. 1-5. So Jeremiah also acted, telling a part of what had passed between him and the king, but not the whole, Jer. xxviii: 24-27.

3. It becomes us also to "defend and promote as much as we are able, the honour and good character of our neighbour." And therefore we must not lend an ear to backbiters; for if we do we lend our ear to the devil, as the backbiter doth his tongue. Do we hear aught to the disparagement of our neighbour, we must beware that we do not presently believe it, but we must defend our neighbour's honour, as much as we can and may: "Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction," This is enjoined even on the king, Prov. xxi. 8. Jonathan acted so in behalf of David, 1 Sam. xix. 45. XX. 32. And the princes and elders of the land conducted so toward Jeremiah, Jer. xxxvi. 16-24. Do we know aught that would disgrace our neighbour, we must not report it, but hold our peace; yea, though every one should know it, we must nevertheless not speak of it, that the evil report may be hushed, and the offence may gradually cease. Do we know any good of our neighbour, we ought to speak of it,

when we may excite others to imitate it, and when it may be set- viceable to such a virtuous man, as one of Saul's young men said in commendation of David to his king, that "he was a cunning player, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and that the Lord was with him," 1 Sam. xvi. 18.

And what think ye, hearers, is not this command, which is given to the covenant people of God, a reasonable command? This command approves itself to every man's conscience to be holy, just and good. Would ye see the propriety of it, observe then,

1. That the Lord God. the only Lawgiver, who can save and destroy, to whom all the creatures, and still more his reasonable creatures, but most of all his covenant people are subject, is "the God of truth," Isaiah Ixv. 16. Yea, he is the truth itself, Jer. x. 10, " he cannot lie," Tit. i. 2. Heb vi. 18. It is now surely proper, that his reasonable creatures, who were made after his image, and especially that his covenant people, who are renewed after his likeness, should be like him. The apostle might therefore reasonably exhort the Ephesians, "to put on the new man, which after God is created in true righteousness and holiness, or in the righteousness and holiness of the truth, and therefore to put away lying and to speak every man the truth to his neighbour," Eph. iv. 24, 25.

2. Bearing false witness is contrary to the nature of truth: it is violated, annihilated, banished out of the world, and even made a lie thereby. Is not this abominable? and if a person dare to do this, what other unbecoming actions will he not presume to do!

3. Is it not right, that the thoughts and words of a person should agree? Must not the person, who speaks falsehoods, silence his conscience, before he can abandon himself to bearing false witness! To excite such a strife between his heart and mouth is certainly unseemly. Will he who deceives his neighbour, endure to be de ceived by him in such a manner? No man is willing to be called a false witness, or a liar; will he then be it? this is iniquity.

4. The person who transgresseth this commandment, destroys at the same time all human society; for he disturbs all love, sincerity, trust, confidence and good neighbourhood among friends and citi zens. When the commonwealths of Israel and Judah hastened to their ruin, it was a forerunner of their dissolution, that "lying pre vailed," Hosea iv. 2, and that they could not trust a friend, nor put confidence in a guide, and that they were obliged to keep the doors of their mouths from her who lay in their bosom," Micht vii. 5.