The Government of the Tongue, Chapter 5
CAP. V. Of Trueth, and of Reverence in speach.
TRVETH of speach is a vertue whereby a man speaketh as he thinketh: and so consequently, he speaketh as every thing is, so farre forth as possiblie he can. It is made a note of a righteous man, to speake the trueth from the heart: Psal. 16.2. Prov. 12.22.and they that deale truely are Gods delight.
This is alwayes required in all our doctrines; accusations, defences, testimonies, promisses, bargainings, counsels: but especially in Iudges and Magistrates sitting on judgement seate,Prov. 17.7. because then they stand in Gods steade, who is trueth it selfe.
To this place belongeth Apollogie, which is,Matt. 10.32. when a Christian called before a Magistrate, and straightly examined of his religion, confesseth Christ boldly, and denieth not the trueth.
Contrary to this, is Lying, Cogging, Glosing, Smoothing, dissembling: As for example,1. Kin. 5.25. Gehazi, after hee had received money and garments of Naaman the Syrian against Elis…es will, he went and stoode before his master, who saide unto him, whence commest thou, Gehazi? who making it nothing to lye for a vantage, smoothed it over finely, and sayde, thy servaunt went no whither. To the like effect and purpose, report is made of a rich man that had two chestes: the one whereof he calleth all the worlde; the other, his friende. In the first hee putteth nothing: in the seconde he putteth all his substance. When his neighbour came to borrowe money, he useth to answere, truely I have never a penny in all the worlde, meaning his emptie chest, but I will see (saith he) what my friend can doe, looking thereby for interest by the money out of his other chest.
This vice is very common, and it is a rare thing to finde a man that maketh a conscience of a lye.
Lying is when a man speaketh otherwise then the trueth is, with a purpose to deceive. Here note that there is great difference betweene these two speeches, It is an untrueth; and, It is a lye. The first may be used when a man speaketh falshoodes. But in using the seconde, we must be heedie and sparing: for when a man is challenged for a lye, three thinges are layde to his charge. I That he speaketh falsely. II. That he is willing to doe so. III. That he hath a desire and purpose to deceive.
Quest. Whether may not a man lye, if it be for the procuring of some great good to our neighbour, or to the whole countrey where we are?
Answ. No: Reasons are these. I. Lying is forbidden, aIam. 3.12. prov. 12.22.as an abomination to the Lord. II. bRom. 3.8.We are not to doe any evill that good might come thereof. III. He which lyeth, in so doing conformeth him selfe to the devill, who cIoh. 8.44.is a lyar and the father thereof.
Object. I. Such lying is for our neighbours good and not against charitie. Answ. No: for d1. Cor. 13.6.charitie rejoyceth in the trueth.
Object. II. The holy Scriptures hauehave mentioned the lyes of the Patriarches. Answ. We must not live by examples against rules of Gods worde.
Object. III. Rahab and the mydwives of Egypt in saving the spies, and in preserving the Israelites infantes used lying, and are commended for their factes.
Answ. They are commended for their faith, not for any lying.
As trueth is required in speech, so also reuerence to God and man.
Reuerence to God is, when we so speak of God and use his titles, that wee shew reuerence our selues, and mooue reuerence in others. aDeu. 28.58.If thou wilt not keepe (saith the Lorde) and doe all the wordes of this Lawe, (that are written in this booke) and feare the glorious and fearfull Name, THE LORD THY GOD, then the Lorde will make thy plagues wonderfull.
Here take heede of all maner of blaspheming, which is, when men use such speeches of God, as doe either detract any thing from his Majestie, or ascribe any thing to him, not beseeming him: A sinne of all to be detested. Reasons. I. A blasphemer is viler then the rest of the creatures: for they praise God in their kinde, and shew foorth his power, goodnesse, and wisdome: but he dishonoureth God in his wretched speech. II. Hee is as the madde dogge that flyeth in his masters face, who keepeth him and giueth him bread. III. Custome in blasphemies sheweth a man to be the child of the deuill, and no child of God as yet. A father lying on his death bed called the three children to him which hee kept, and tolde them that onelyonly one of them was his owne sonne, and that the rest were onelyonly brought up by him: therfore unto him hee gaue all his goods: but which of these three was his naturall sonne he would not in any wise declare. When hee was deade, eueryevery one of the three children pleaded that hee was the sonne, and therefore that the goods were his. The matter being brought before a Iudge could not be ended: but the Iudge was constrained to take this course: hee caused the dead corpes of the father to be set up against a tree, and commaunded the three sonnes to take bowes and arrowes, and to, shoote against their father and to see who could come neerest the heart. The first and seconde did shoote at their father and hitte him, the thirde was angrie with both the other and refused to shoot. This done, the Iudge gaue sentence that the two first were no sonnes, but the third onelyonly, and that he should hauehave the goods. The like triall may be used to know who be Gods children. Such persons with whome blaspheming is rife, are very deuils incarnate, and the children of the deuill, who rend God in pieces, and shoote him through with their dartes, as it is said of the Egyptian when hee blasphemed,Levit. 24.11. vaijkkobh. that hee smote or pierced through Gods Name.
Againe, here wee must be warned to take heede of that customable swearing, and also of perjurie. It is a very strange sinne: for the perjured person doeth not onelyonly sinne himselfe, but withall he endeavoureth to intangle God in the same sinne with himselfe.
Further, take heede least thou doest either make or recite the jestes which are contrived out of the phrases of Scripture: which are very many and verie usually rehearsed in companie.Exod. 30.31. The oyle wherewith the tabernacle and the arke of the testament and the Priestes were annointed, was holy: and therefore no man might put it to any other uses, as to annoint his owne flesh therewith, or to make the like unto it. bIohn 19.8.Pilate a poore Painyme when he heard the name of the Sonne of God was afraid: and we much more ought to tremble at the word of God, not to make our selves merry with it. And therefore the scoffing of Iulian the Apostata is very fearefull, who was wont to reach Christians boxes on the eare, and with all, bidde them turne the other, and obey their masters commandement, Whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheeke, Mat. 5.39.turne to him the other also. And he denied pay and like reward to his souldiers that were Christians, because he saide he would make them fitte for the kingdome of heauen, considering that Christ had said, Blessed are the poore in spirite: Matt. 5.3.for theirs is the kingdome of heaven.
Here also men must learne to take heed of all manner of charmes and inchauntments, which commonly are nothing else but words of scripture or such like, used for the curing of paines and diseases both in men and beastes. As for example, the first words of S. Iohns Gospell, In the beginning was the Worde, and the Worde was with God &c. are used to be written in a paper and hung about mens neckes to cure agues. But the truth is, such kinde of practises are deuilish. Patrones of charmes holde that in such wordes as are either diuine or barbarous, is much efficacie. But whence is this efficacie? From God? from men? or from the deuill? If it shall be saide from God, we must knowe that the worde used in holy maner, is the instrument of God to convey unto us spirituall blessings, as faith, regeneration, repentance: but it doeth not serve to bring unto us corporall health. Well then, belike wordes take vertue from the speaker, and are made powerfull by the strength of his imagination.Parac. libr. de Tartar…. Indeed of this opinion are some Phisitians, as Avicenna and Paracelsus, who thinke that phantasie is like to the sunne, which worketh on all things to which his beames doe come: and the latter that by imagination miracles may be wrought. But this opinion is fonde and the reasons alledged for it are without weight. For imaginations are no things but shadowes of things. And as an image of a man in a glasse hath no power in it, but only serves to resemble & represent the bodie of a man: so it is with the phantasie and conceit of the minde & no otherwise. And if imagination hauehave any force, it is only within the spirits and humours of a mans owne bodie: but to give force to worke in the bodies of others it can not; no more then the shadow of one bodie can ordinarily cure the body of another on which it lighteth. Wherefore words used in the way of bodily cure, be they in they in them selues never so good, are no better then the deuils sacraments: and when they are used of blinde people, he it is, that comming under hand, worketh the cure, & by turning himselfe into an Angell of light, deludes them. But it were better for a man to die a thousand times then to use such remedies, which in curing the body, destroy the soule.
Lastly, avoid all imprecations and cursings either against men or other creatures: For God in judgement, to punish such cursed speaking, often brings to passe such imprecations: as may appeare in the Iewes, who at the arraignment of Christ, cryed saying,Matt. 27.25. His blood be upon us and upon our children: which imprecation is verified upon them till this day. At Newburge in Germany a certaine mother cursed her sonne, saying, Get thee away, Lonicerus theatr. histor. prec. 4.I would thou mightest never come againe alive: the very same day he went into the water and was drowned. Againe, a mother brought her child to the Vniversitie of Wittemberge, Idem.by reason he was possessed with an uncleane spirit: beeing demaunded how it came to passe, she answered in the hearing of many, that in her anger shee saide, The devill take thee, and thereupon presently the childe was possessed. And in our countrey, men often wish the plague, the poxe, the pestilence to their children, their seruants, their cattell: and often it falles out accordingly.
Reuerence to man is in two respects, either because he is created after the image of God, or because he is aboue us in age, giftes, authority.
In the first consideration, men must hauehave care to giuegive such names to children as are proper and fit, usuall and knowne: the signification whereof, may admonish them of the promises of God, of godlines, or of some good duty. And there be foure allowed endes of giving names. I. To preserue the memory of some thing by the name giuen, as Adam, Israell, Isaac. II. To signifie some thing to come, as Evah, Abraham, Iohn, Peter. III. To preserue the name and memorie of parentes and kindred, which was used in the birth of Iohn Baptist. This custome may still be retained, if there be any good example in the ancetours that the childe may follow. IIII. That the life and profession of good men may be revived in the renuing of their names.
Here we must take heed, in no wise to giuegive to children, the proper names or titles of God, as Iesus, Immanuel, &c.
Neither are the professours of the Gospell to be intituled by the names of such as have beene famous instruments in the Church, as to be called Calvinists, Lutheranes, &c. Now this I say, 1. Cor. 12.13.that every one of you saith, I am Paules, and I am Apollos, I am Cephas and I am Christes: Is Christ divided? or was Paul crucified for you either were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
And it is a bold part of the pestilent generation of Papistes, who take to themselves the name of Iesuites, Actes 11.26. Rom. 11.4.for the name of Christian was given to the disciples at Antioch not by the devise of man, but by devine oracle.
Reverence to man as he is superiour, is in using fitte titles of reverence. Sara is commended in Scriptures for obeying her husband and for calling him Syr. But excesse must here be avoided, when titles of honour proper to God are given to men,1. Pet. 3.6. as head of the Catholique Church to the Pope, Lady and Queene of heaven to the mother of Christ. This fault Christ. This fault Christ reprooved in the young man, saying, Why callest thou me good, Marc. 10.18.there is none good but God.