Part II. Nothing but the Truth, without adding any doubtful and uncertain Conjectures, which may mislead the Hearers, and bring on a wrong Sentence. These are the Properties of a good Witnefs, upon whofe Teftimony Mens Lives and Eftates depend; A faithful Witness will not lye, or forge any thing, but a falfe Witness will utter Lyes; Prov. 14. 5. And elsewhere, He that Speaketh Truth fheweth forth Righteousness, but a falfe Witness Deceit, Prov. 12. 17. This is to be carefully minded by all that are call'd upon to give evidence in any Caufe, that they confine their Testimony to Truth, and to fuch things only as they know to be fo; for 'tis this that preferves the Publick Peace and Welfare, prevents Injustice and Wrong, and fecures to us the Peace and Tranquillity of our own Minds: yea, this promotes likewife the Glory of God, for Fofbua bids Achan to give Glory to God by Speaking the Truth in the matter of the Wedge of Gold, and the Babylonifh Garment, which he had fecretly purloin'd; Jofh. 7. 19. Indeed, God is glorify'd by fpeaking Truth, for that befpeaks not only a Senfe of, and Reverence for his Attributes, but a Conformity to his Nature and Will, who is Truth itself, and requires Truth in the inward parts: whereas God is highly difhonour'd by bearing falfe Witnefs, which fignifies the cafting off all Love and Fear of him.

2. And as this Commandment requires Truth in Courts of Justice, so does it in all our Conversation and Commerce with each other, in which we are commanded to speak every Man Truth with his Neighbour, Eph. 4. 25.

In all private Converfe, our Saviour's Advice is, that our Communication be Yea, Yea, Nay, Nay; that is, in affirming and denying, and both of them in Truth, fpeaking of things as they are, without falfifying or forfwearing: for thefe are of the Evil-one, who was a Liar from the beginning and the Father of them; whereas God is Truth, and his People are ftyl'd Children that will not lye, that have a veneration for Truth, and in all their Words and Actions keep to it. Indeed, Truth is too facred a thing to be prof tituted or play'd away; 'tis the Cement and Safeguard of all Society, and must therefore be inviolably obferv'd in all our Communication with each other; but especially in our Promises and Contracts, wherein our Speech muft be according to our Thoughts, and agreeable to our Purpofes and Refolutions, ftanding firm to our Promises, and doing according to all that hath gone out of our Mouth.

'Tis this alone that answers the End of Speech, which was given as a means to convey our Mind and Meaning, and thereby to be the Inftrument of Intercourfe and Confidence in one another; fo that he who ufeth his Tongue to the fpeaking of Truth, ufeth it as God hath appointed; whereas he that telleth Lies, contradicts the Defign of Speech, and makes his Tongue the Inftrument of Deceit and Mifchief. Befide,

Truth is a Debt which we owe all to one another, every Man having a Right to have our Meaning truly tranfmitted to him by our Words, the Faculty of fpeaking being given to that end. So that whoever falfifies or equivocates with his Neighbour, does an Act of great Injustice, by depriving him of that Right of Truth, which God hath made due to every Man; and he bears falfe Witness to the purpofe, who speaks one thing and means another. And therefore,

Thirdly, Another Virtue requir'd in this Commandment, is an honeft Simplicity in all our Words and Actions. This empties the Heart of all evil Purposes and Defigns against any, and fills it with ftrong Defires of doing good to all; by which means there is no oppofition between the Words and the Thoughts, nor do the Actions run counter to either. He that defigns mifchief to another within, commonly difguifes it by fair Speeches without, and fo hides the Naughtiness of the Heart by the Flatteries and Falfhood of the Tongue: whereas he that hath nothing but good wishes towards others, will never falfify in his Words; his Tongue will not vary from his Heart, nor his Actions from either, but a true Harmony and Concord will be found in them all. This is that Simplicity and godly Sincerity, in which all Men are directed to have their Converfation. And this confifts,

1. In a Freedom from all Malice, the vileft and most venomous of all the Paffions, ftyl'd therefore not only Wicked, but Wickednefs itfelf; for fo Malitia in Latin, and Kaxia in Greek both fignify: 'tis compounded of Anger and Hatred, but more dangerous than both, being join'd with a defire of doing mischief, and a delight in it when done. "Tis a fecret, fubtle and mifchievous Paffion, having the Craft of the Fox mixt with the Cruelty of the Tyger; it fills the Heart with Gall, tips the Tongue with Falfhood, and as Solomon defcribes it, will not fuffer Men to fleep

Part II. till they have done evil, Prov. 4. 16. Whereas an honeft Simplicity of Mind is free from all this; it defires all good, but defigns no evil to his Neighbour; and tho it may have fomething of the Wisdom of the Serpent, yet it ftill retains the Innocence of the Dove, and will not harm any in Body, Goods, or Name.

2. The Simplicity here requir'd confifts in a Freedom from all Guile, Hypocrify, and Diffimulation: These things put falfe colours upon Mens Words and Actions, and make them appear to be what they are not, and that fets them upon ufing all their Art and Induftry to maintain the difguife. They that fteer their course by these Measures, look one way and row another, profeffing the greateft dearness when their Defigns are most dangerous, and by fair Speeches colour over the fouleft Actions. David complain'd of this in his time, that his greatest Enemies were those that pretended the greatest Friendship: 'Twas not an open Enemy (faith he) that did me this dishonour, but my Companion, and my own familiar Friend, and they that eat of my Bread laid wait for me. Fudas came to our Saviour with Hail Mafter! and kiss'd him, at the fame time that he betray'd him. And St. Paul was in great perils by falfe Brethren, who spake him fair, when they defign'd him the greatest mischief. This is but too much practis'd in our days, wherein the antient Simplicity of our Fore-fathers is in a great measure loft, and Men are degenerated in Craft and Subtilty, laying fnares in their Talk, and traps in all their Ways and Dealings with each other. This is directly contrary to the Simplicity requir'd in this Commandment, in which we are forbidden to bear any falfe Witness; but contrariwife, that all our Speeches fhould agree with our Minds, and our Works bear a true Teftimony to our Words: to this purpofe is that of St. Paul, Let Love be without diffimulation, Rom. 12. St. Peter propounds to us our Saviour's Example, who did no Sin, nor was any Guile found in his Mouth. Nathanael is commended for a true Ifraelite, in whom was no Guile. The Apoftle wills us to lay afide all Guile and Hypocrily, and as new-born Babes defire the fincere Milk of the Word, that we may grow thereby; removing all Gall out of our Heart, that no Guile may be found in our Tongue.

Laftly, The Simplicity here requir'd implies a freedom from all envying and evil-speaking, which the fame Apostle therefore exhorts us to lay afide. For Envy fours Mens Minds, and imbitters their Tongues against each other:

He

He that envies another, would have him as hateful to all Mankind as he is to himself, and to that end reprefents him in the blackest colours he can, to render him odious. Illwill, we fay, never fpeaks well, but delights to blazon and aggravate all Mifcarriages: and therefore to cure these Vices of the Tongue, we muft root all Spite and Envy out of the Mind, which are fo prejudicial to the good Name of our Neighbour, and learn that piece of Charity that envieth not, and will not fuffer us to think or speak unfeemingly of

any.

Thus we fee both what is forbidden, and what is requir'd in this Commandment: To the former belong all the evil Arts of leffening or hurting our Neighbour's Credit; to the latter appertain all the good means of preferving and promoting their Reputation. For the better obferving of both, it will not be amifs to recommend to you that wholesome Advice of St. Paul to this end, in 1 Theff. 4. II. Study to be quiet, and do your own business: where the Apoftie, for the preferving of Mens good Name, puts them,

1. Upon the ftudy of Peace and Quietnefs; for Brawls and Contention fharpen Mens Tongues, and make them fpeak and think the worst they can of one another. He that firreth up Strife, will furely ftir up Slander: for as the moving of the Water raifeth up the Slime and Filth that lies at the bottom, fo the moving of Strife ftirs up the Gall and Choler within; and that will corrupt the Language, and difcover itself in the Bitterness of the Tongue. To prevent which, the Apostle wills Men to Seek after Peace, and study to be quiet; to which end, they fhould beware of Faction, and making of Parties, and avoid all Fraud and Falfhood in their dealings: for these things break the Peace, and disturb the Quiet of the World.

Now Study, we know, implies an earneft Intention of Mind, accompany'd with diligent Enquiry and Endeavours after fomething: and the Apoftle making Quietness a matter of Study, fhews at once the Excellency of it, that 'tis worth ftudying; and likewife the Difficulty of it, that it wants it.

That 'tis worth our Study, the many Benefits we reap from Peace, and the many Miferies that flow from Contention, may easily satisfy us.

That it wants it, is no lefs evident from the Proneness of Mankind to Feuds and Contention, and the many Occafions and Temptations leading thereunto.

2. To preferve each other's good Name, we must mind and do our own Bufinefs, without unneceffary meddling in other Mens Matters; for they that thrust themselves into others Business, commonly make too bold with their Reputation, affuming all Wifdom to themselves, and scarce allowing others enough to understand or manage their own Affairs. Hence the Apostle joins Bufy-Bodies and Tattlers together, 1 Tim. 5. 13. adding, that they wander about from boufe to boufe, not only idle, but Tattlers, and Speaking things which they ought not.

I

To conclude then this Commandment: We are here directed to avoid all unjust ways of leffening or detracting from the Honour and Reputation of our Neighbour, which is bearing falfe Witness against him; and likewise to do all the Right and Service we lawfully may to his good Name, which is the bearing true Testimony to and for him.

DISCOURSE XXII.

EXOD. XX. 17.

Thou shalt not covet thy Neighbour's Houfe, thou Jhalt not covet thy Neighbour's Wife, nor his Man-Servant, nor his Maid-Servant, nor his Ox, nor his Afs, nor any thing that is thy Neighbour's.

T

HESE Words contain the Tenth and laft Commandment in the Decalogue; the Defign whereof is to regulate the inward Thoughts and Defires of the Heart, and to keep them from all unlawful lufting or coveting what is another's. The foregoing Precepts feem exprefly to relate only to the outward Man, and to restrain the external Acts of Violence and Injustice; but this goes deeper, and lays a Restraint upon the inward Man; it puts a Check upon all fecret and unlawful Defires, tho they never come into Act, and refines the Heart from all unjust Hankerings, thereby purifying the Fountain, or stopping the Spring whence all Evil iffues: for out of the Heart pro

ceed