Page images
PDF
EPUB

Thou shalt not bear falle witness against the

Neighbour.

IX. Commandment,

IT is in the Hebrew, Thou shalt not answer (to wit, being examined or adjured in judgment) against thy neighbour as a falfe witness; fo that primarily, it seems, bearing false teftimony against our neighbour (especially in matters of capital or of high concernment to him) is prohibited: yet that not only this great crime, but that all injurious (even extrajudicial) prejudicing our neighbour's reputation, and confequently his fafety or his welfare in any fort, is forbidden, we may collect from that explication of this law, or that parallel law, which we have in Leviticus; Thou shalt not, it is there faid, go up Levit. xix. and down as a talebearer among thy people; neither shalt 16. thou ftand against the blood of thy neighbour: as a talebearer,; that is, a merchant, or trader in ill reports LXX. où reand ftories concerning our neighbour, to his prejudice; ρεύση δόλῳ. defaming him, or detracting from him, or breeding in the minds of men an ill opinion of him; which vile and mifchievous practice is otherwhere under feveral names condemned and reproved: such are muttering; (The words Prov. xviii, of a mutterer, faith the Wise Man, are as wounds, going into the innermost parts of the belly :) whispering, Jugio-Sirac. v. 14. pòs, we have often in the Son of Sirach and in St. Paul xxi. 30. mentioned with a bad character, or with prohibition and 2 Cor. xii. reproof: fupplanting; (fo in the good man's defcription, Rom. i. 30. Pfal. xv. it is faid, He fupplants not with his tongue; so Pfal. xv. 3. the word fignifies:) detraction, or backbiting, xaraλanía, 2 Cor. xii. which is fo often in the apoftolical writings forbidden 20. and reprehended: flander, or calumny, and fycophantry; 11. that is, oppreffing, abufing, or any way harming men by Rom. i. 30. falfe tales, fuggeftions, or pretences: which fort of prac- Luke iii. 14. tices, how base they are in themselves, (nothing being xix. 8. more unworthy of an honeft and ingenuous mind, nothing 11. more ugly to the judgment of them who have any fenfe Pf. lxxii. 4. of goodness,) how contrary they are to justice, which doth not permit us to wrong our neighbour, as well in

8.

רגן

xxviii. 13.

20.

רגל

James iv.

1 Pet. ii. 1.

Levit. xix.

cxix. 134.

1 Cor. xiii.

5,7.

his credit and good name, as in his other goods, (for they perhaps may be as much valued by him, may really be of as much confequence to him, as any thing that he hath ;) which bindeth us to abstain from hurting him, as Prov. x. 12. well in word as in deed; how oppofite they are to charity, which obligeth us to think the beft of our neighbour, and to endeavour that others alfo may do fo; to conceal his real faults and blemishes; much more not to devife and affix false ones to him, not to gather and difperfe ill reports to his prejudice; of how mischievous confequence alfo they are, breeding ill-will, and sowing Prov. xvi. ftrife in all focieties both public and private, (even separating chief friends, as the Wife Man telleth us,) common fenfe and experience do fhew: they consequently must be very odious in the fight of God, who loveth the peace and welfare of men; and very offenfive to men, who do the mischiefs springing from them.

28.

11.

Pfal. xv. 2.

To this law may be reduced our obligations to be candid in our opinions and discourses concerning others, (ac

1 Cor. xiii. cording to St. Paul's excellent description of charity;) to forbear all rash and harsh cenfure, as you know our Saviour in his moft divine fermon on the Mount chargeth us; to be veracious, fincere, and faithful in all our converfation; which duties are so often taught and pressed Levit. xix. in both Teftaments: Ye shall not, faith the Law, fteal, nor deal falfely, nor lie one to another; and, To walk uprightly, and work righteousness, and speak the truth from his heart, are the first lineaments in the good man's character Zech. viii. drawn by the Pfalmift; and, These are the things ye shall do, faith God in the Prophet; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and Eph. iv. 25. peace in your gates: and in the New Teftament, To lay Col. iii. 9. afide lying, to speak the truth every man with his neigh1 Pet. ii. 1. bour; to lay afide all malice, all guile, all hypocrifies, envyings, and backbitings, are apoftolical commands.

16.

mandment.

Thou Chalt not cover thy Neighbour's House; thoux. ComChalt not cover thp Neighbour's Wife; nor his Man-fervant, noz his Paid-servant, noz his Dx, noz his Als, noz anp thing that is thy Neighbour's.

19.

THIS law is comprehenfive and recapitulatory, as it were, of the rest concerning our neighbour, prefcribing univerfal juftice toward him; (whence St. Mark, it seems, meaneth to render it in one word, by un aоσтeрhons, de- Mark x. 19. prive not, or bereave not your neighbour of any thing;) and this not only in outward deed and dealing, but in inward thought and defire, the spring whence they do iffue forth, (for, from the heart, as our Saviour teacheth, do proceed Matt. xv. evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, falsewitnefs, blafphemies;) we are obliged to be fo far from depriving our neighbour of any good thing belonging to him, that we are not fo much as to wifh or defire it; not only to abstain from injurious action, but to repress covetous inclinations: wherein is alfo implied, that we should have a delight and complacence in our neighbour's good; not envying him any enjoyment; being in our minds content with the portion God pleaseth to vouchsafe us; and entirely trusting in him, that he will supply us with what is needful or befitting to us, without the damage of our neighbour. Thus God's law is, as St. Paul obferved, Spi- Rom. vii. ritual; not only restraining exterior acts, but regulating our inmost thoughts, quelling all inordinate appetites and affections of heart within us; the which may be extended fo as to respect not only matters of juftice toward our neighbour, but all objects whatever of our practice; fo as to import that which in the Chriftian law is fo frequently enjoined us, as the life of our religion, circum- Phil. iii. 3. cifing our hearts, crucifying the flesh with its paffions and Col. ii. 11. defires, mortifying our earthly members, putting to death Rom. vi. 6. by the Spirit the deeds of the body, putting off the old man, ii. 11. which is corrupted according to the deceitful lufis: Oux éπ- Eph. iv. 22.

7, 14.

Rom. ii. 29.

Gal. v. 24.

Col. iii. 5.

Rom. viii.

Suμnoas, Thou shalt not unlawfully or irregularly defire, doth, according to the spiritual intent, import all this.

I have done; and fhall only add, that the fum and end of these, and all other good laws, of all religion, and all our duty, is (as we often are taught in the New Testa1 Tim. i. 5. ment) comprised in those two rules, of loving God with all our heart, and loving our neighbour as ourselves; feriously and honestly attending unto which, we can hardly fail of knowing what in any cafe our duty is: it remains that we employ our best care and endeavour on the conscientious practice thereof; imploring therewith the affiftance of God's grace, and that good Spirit, which God hath most graciously promised to those who duly ask it, by which alone we can be enabled to keep God's commandments: to him be all glory and praise. Amen.

THE

DOCTRINE

OF

THE SACRAMENTS.

IT is a peculiar excellency of our religion, that it doth Cypr. Ep. not much employ men's care, pains, and time, about mat- 76. ters of ceremonial obfervance; but doth chiefly (and in a manner wholly) exercise them in works of fubftantial duty, agreeable to reason, perfective of man's nature, productive of true glory to God, and folid benefit to men. Its defign is not to amuse our fancies with empty fhows, nor to take up our endeavours in fruitless performances; but to render us truly good, and like unto God; firft in interior difpofition of mind, then in exterior practice; full of hearty love and reverence to God, of tender charity and goodwill toward men; of moderation and purity in the enjoyment of these things; of all true piety and virtue; whereby we may become qualified for that life of blifs which it tendereth and promifeth; for conversation in that holy fociety above, to which it defigneth and calleth us. Yet because fancy is naturally a medium, and an It hath, effectual inftrument of action; and becaufe fenfible ob- efpecially jects are apt ftrongly to affect our minds; it hath pleafed gar and the divine Wisdom to apply them, in fit measure, and to minds, a fanctify them to those good purposes, by appointing fome ftrong effifew folemn and fignificant rites to be observed by us, being in their own nature proper and useful, and by God defigned to declare his mind and gracious intents to us; to confign and convey his grace into our fouls, to confirm

upon vul

weaker

cacy.

« PreviousContinue »