The Catechizing of Families, Chapter 42
CHAP. XLII. Of the Ninth Commandement.
Qu. 1. WHat are the Words of the ninth Commandement?
A. Thou shalt not bear false Witness against thy Neighbour.
Q. 2. What is it which is herein forbidden?
A. All Falshood injurious to the innocency, right or reputation of another; especially in witness-bearing, accusations or judgments contrary to publick Justice. The Act forbidden is Falshood: The object against which it is done, is our Neighbours good or right of any sort; whether his good Name, or Estate, or Life, especially as it perverteth the hear…s Judgment and Love, or publick Justice.aLev. 19. 11. Prov. 14. 5.
Q. 3. Is all Lying here forbidden, or only injurious Lying?
A. All Lying is injurious, and forbidden.bCol. 3. 9. …v. 21. 17. & 22. 15.
Q. 4. What injury doth a jeasting Lie do to any one? …r a Lye which only saveth the speaker from some hurt, …ithout hurting any other? Yea some Lies seem to be …rofitable and necessary. As if a Parent or Physici…n tell a Lie to a Child or Patient to get them to take a Medicine to save their lives, or a Subject tell a lye to a Traytor or Enemy to save the Life of the King? Tell me I pray you, why God forbiddeth all such Lies?
A. 1. You must consider that God is the Author of Order: And Order is to …e World it's useful disposition to it's Operations and Ends: Just as it is to a Clock or Watch, or a Coach, or Ship or any such Engine; Disorder the parts, and it's good for nothing: A Kingdom, Army, Church, or any Society, is essentiated by Order, without which it is destroyed. And the World of Mankind being made up of individual persons, the ordering of particular Men is the Chief thing to the Order of the humane World: As we dye, when disorder of parts or humors maketh the Body uncapable of the Souls Operations. So a mans Soul is vitiated and dead to it's Chiefends, when it's Order is overthrown. All Godliness and Morality is nothing but the right Order of the dispositions and acts of man, in our subordination to the Governing Will of God (which is our Law:) It is not another Substance that Grace maketh in us, but another Order. And all sin is nothing but the contrary Disorder: And that man… Words be the true and just Expression of his Mind is a great part of the Order of his Words, withou… which it were better Man were speechless.
And 2. You must consider, that God hath mad man a sociable Creature, and each one a part of th… World, which is One Kingdom of God the Universal King. And that each part is more for the wh… than for it self, because the common welfare of th… whole, is better than of any part, as being a high… End of Government, and more illustriously shewi… the Glory of God.
And 3. You must consider, that because God only knoweth the Heart, there can be no Society and Conversation but by Words and other Signs: And that without mutual Trust, there can be no Society of Love, Concord or mutual Help: But utter distrust is a Virtual Warre: There can be no Prince and Subjects, no Husband and Wife, no Pastor and Flocks, without some trust. And Trustiness is Truthtelling: So far as a Man is taken for a Lyer, he is not believed or trusted.cProv. 6. 17. & 12. 19, 22. & 13. 5. & …. 7. 1 Tim. 1. 10.
4. You must consider, that if God should leave it to mans discretion in what cases to Lie, and in what not, and did not absolutely forbid it, Selfishness, Interest and Folly would scarce leave any credibility or trustiness in Mankind. For how can I know whether your Iudgment now bid you not Lye, for some reason that I know not.
5. So that you see, that Leave to Lie when we think it harmless, would be but to pluck up a floodgate of all deceit, untrustiness and utter confusion, which would shame and confound and ruine Societies and the World. And then it's easie to know that it is better that any mans Commodity or Life miscarry (which yet was scarce ever done meerly for want of a Lye) than that the World should be thus disordered and Confounded: As men sick of the Plague must be shut up rather than go about to insect the City; and some Houses must be blown up rather than the fire not be stopt. And as Souldiers burn Suburbs to save a City, &c. so no mans privatedRom. 3. 7. good must be pretended for the Corruption and Misery of the World.e1 King. 22. 22. Ioh. 8. 44. Tit. 1. 2. Heb▪ 6. 18.
6. And Remember that Lying is the Devils Character and Work, and so the work and Character of his Servants. And Truth is the effect of Gods Perfection, and his Veracity so necessary to Mankind, that without it we could have no full assurance of the future blessedness which he hath promised: If God could Lye, our hopes were all shaken; for we should be still uncertain whether his Word be true. And Gods Laws and his Image must signifie his perfection.fRom. 3. 4.
Q. 5. Wherein doth the Truth of words consist?
A. In a threefold respect: 1. In a suitable significancy of the Matter: 2. In an agreeable significancy of the Mind of the Speaker. 3. And both these as suited to the Information of the hearer.
Q. 6. What is false-speaking?
A. 1. That which is so disagreeable to the Matter as to represent it falsly. 2. That which is so disagreeable to the Speakers Mind, as to represent it falsly to another. 3. That which speaketh the Matter and Mind aptly as to themselves and other hearers, but so as the present hearer who we know takes the Words in another sence, will by our design be deceived by them.
Q. 7. Is all false speaking Lying, or what is … Lye?
A. Lying properly signifieth a culpable speaking … falshood: And it hath divers degrees of culpability▪ When falshood is spoken without the speakers fault it is not morally to be called a Lie: Though improperly the Hebrews called any thing a Lye which would deceive those that trust in it: and so all men and Creatures though blameless are Lyars to such as overtrust them.gProv. 12. 17. Psal. 52. 4. & 120. 7. Psal. 116. 11. Eph. 5. 6.
Q. 8. Which are the divers degrees of Lying or Culpable false speaking?
A. 1. One is privative; When men falsly represent things by Diminutive Expressions: Things may be falsly represented by defective as well as by Excessive speeches: He that speaks of God, and Heaven and Holiness faintly as Good, saith a graminatical truth: But if he speak not of them as Best or Excellent, it is Morally a false Expression through defect. He that saith Coldly, To Murder, to be Perjured, to Silence Christs Ministers unjustly, is not well, as Eli said of his Sons Wickedness; or only saith, [I cannot justifie it,] or [It's hard to justifie it] saith a Grammatical Truth, but a Moral falshood by the extenuating words, as if he would perswade the hearer to think it some small or doubtful matter, and so to be impenitent.
2. He that speaketh falsly through rashness, heedlesness, neglect of just Information, or any ignorance which is Culpable, is guilty of some degree of Lying. But he that knowingly speaketh falsly, is a Lyar in a higher degree.
3. He that by Culpable forgetfulness speaks falsly, is to be blamed: But he that Remembreth and Studieth it, much more.
4. He that lyeth in a small matter which seemeth not to hurt but perhaps to profit the Hearer, is to be blamed: But he that lyeth in great matters, and to the great hurt of others, much more.
5. He that speaketh either contrary to his Mind, or contrary to the Matter culpably, lyeth. But he that speaketh both contrary to his Mind and the Matter, lyeth worse.
6. He that by Equivocation useth unapt and unsuitable expressions, to deceive him that will misunderstand them, is to be blamed: But he that will stand openly bold-faced in a Lie, much more.
7. It is sin to speak Untruths of our own, which we might avoid: But it's much worse to father them on God or the Holy Scripture.h1 Cor. 15. 15. 1 Ioh. 5. 10.
8. It is sin by falshood to deceive one, but much more to deceive multitudes, even whole Assemblies or Countreys.
9. It is sin in a private man to Lie to another about small things: But much more hainous for a Ruler, or a Preacher, to deceive multitudes even in matters of Salvation.
10. It is a sin rashly to drop a falshood: But much greater to write Books or dispute for it, and justifie it.
11. It is a sin to Lie from a good intent: But much more out of envy, malice or malignity.
12. It is a sin to lie in private Talk: But much more to lie to a Magistrate or Judge who hath power to Examine▪ us.
13. It is a sin to assert an Untruth as aforesaid: But much greater to swear it, or offer it to God in our Profession or Vows.
Q. 9. Is all Deceiving of another a sin?
A. No: There is great difference, 1. Between deceiving one that I am bound to inform, and one that I am not bound to inform: 2. And between deceiving one to his benefit or harmlesly, and to his hurt and injury: 3. And between deceiving him by just means, and by unjust forbidden means.
I. I am under no Obligation to inform a Robber or an usurping Persecutor as such. But to others I may be obliged to open the Truth.
II. I may deceive a Patient or Child to profit him, when I may not do it to hurt him.
III. I may deceive such as I am not bound to inform, by my silence, or my looks, or gestures, which I suppose he will misunderstand, when I may not deceive him by a Lie.
Q. 10. Is it not all one to deceive one way or another?
A. No: 1. I am not bound to open my Mind to all men: What right hath a Thief to know my Goods or Heart? or a Persecutor to know where I hide my self?
2. But I have before largely shewed you, that Lying is so great an evil against common Trust and Society in the World, as is not to be used for personal Commodity or Safety.
3. And other Signs, Looks and gestures being not appointed for the natural and common Indications of the Mind, are more left to humane Liberty and Prudence, to use for Lawful ends. As Christ, Luk. 24. made by his motion, as if he would have gone further: And even by words about Caesars Tribute, and other Cases, concealed his Mind, and oft denyed the Pharisees a resolution of Questions which they put to him. Stratagems in a Lawful War are lawful, when by actual shews and seemings an Enemy is deceived.
Q. 11. But the Scriptures mention many Instances of Equivocation and flat Lying, in the Egyptian Midwives, in Rahab, in David and many others, without blame, and some of them with great commendation and reward, Heb. 11?
A. 1. It is Gods Law that tells us what's Sin and Duty, when the History oft tells us but what was done, and not how far it was well or ill done.
2. It is not the Lie that is commended in the Midwives and Rahab, but their Faith and Charity.
3. That which God pardoneth (as he did Polygamy and rash Divorce) to Godly men that are upright in the main, and specially such as knew it not to be sin, is not thereby justified; nor will it be so easily pardoned to us, who live in the clearer Gospel light.
Q. 12. But when the Scripture saith, that All men are Lyars, and sad Experience seemeth to confirm it, what credit do we owe to Men, and what certainty is there of any History?
A. History (by Writing or Verbal Tradition) is of so great use to the World, that Satan maketh it a chief part of his work, as he is the Deceiver and Enemy of Mankind, to corrupt it. And false History is a most hainous sin, and dangerous S…are, by which the great Deceiver keeps up his Kingdom in the World. Heathenism, Mahometanism, Popery, Heresie, and Malignity and Persecution, are all maintained by false Tradition and History. Therefore we must not be too hasty or confident in Believing Man: And yet denying just Belief will be our sin and great loss.
Q. 13. How then shall we know what and whom to believe?
A. 1. We must believe no men that speak against God or his Word: For we are sure that God cannot lie: And the Scripture is his infallibly Sealed Word.
2. We must believe none that speak against the Light of Nature and common Notices of all Mankind: for that were to renounce Humanity: And the Law of Nature is Gods first Law. But it is not the Sentiments of Nature as depraved which is this Law.
3. We must believe no men against the common Senses of Mankind, exercised on their duely qualified Objects. Faith contradicteth not common Sense, though it goe above it. We are Men before we are Christians; and Sense and Reason are presupposed to Faith: The Doctrine which saith, There is no Bread nor Wine after Consecration in the Sacrament, doth give the lie to the Eyes, Taste and Feeling, and intellectual Perception of all sound men, and therefore not to be believed: For if Sense be not to be trusted, we know not that there is a Church, or a Man, or a Bible or any thing in the World, and so nothing can be believed. Whether all sound Senses may be deceived or not, God hath given us no surer way of certainty.
4. Nothing is to be believed against the certain Interest of all Mankind, and tending to their destruction; That which would damn Souls, or deny their Immortality and future Hope, or ruine the Christian World or Nations, is not to be believed to be duty or lawfull: For Truth is for Good, and Faith is for Felicity; and no man is bound to such destructive things.i1 Ioh. 4. 1, 2.
5. Nothing is to be believed as absolutely certain, which depends on the meer honesty of the Speakers: For all men are liable to mistake or lie.
6. The more Ignorant, malicious, unconscionable, factious, siding, any man is, the less credible he is. And the wiser and nearer to the action any man is, and the more conscionable, peaceable and impartial he is, the more credible he is. An Enemy speaking well of a man, is so far more credible than a Friend: Multitudes, as capable and honest, are more credible than one.
7. As that Certainty which is called Morall, as depending on mens Free-will, is never absolute, but hath many degrees, as the witness is more or less credible; so there is a Certainty by mens Report, Tradition or History which is Physical and wholly infallible: As that there is such a place as Rome, Paris, &c. and that the Statutes of the Land were made by such Kings and Parliaments to whom they are ascribed; and that there have been such Kings, &c. For proof of which know, 1. That besides the free acts, the Will hath some acts as necessary as it is to the Fire to burn, viz. To Love our selves and Felicity, and more such. 2. That when all men of contrary Interest, Friends and Foes, agree in a matter that hath sensible Evidence, it is the Effect of such a Necessitating Cause. 3. And there is no Cause in Nature that can make them so agree in a lie. Therefore it is a Natural Certainty. Look back …o the sixth Chapter.
Q. 13. Why is false Witness in Iudgement so great a sin?
A. Because it containeth in it all these odious Crimes conjunct: 1. A deliberate lie: 2. The wrongfull hurting of another, contrary to the two great Principles of Converse, Justice and Love: …. It depriveth the World of the benefit of Government and Judicatures: 4. It turneth them into the …ague and ruine of the innocent: 5. It blasphe…eth or dishonoureth God, by whose Authority Rulers judge, as if he set up Officers to destroy us by false Witness, or knew it not, or would not re…enge Injustice. 6. It overthroweth humane Con…erse and Safety, when Witnesses may destroy whom they please, if they can but craftily agree.kMat. 26. 62. & 27. 13. Mar. 14. 55, 56. Num. 35. 30. Act. 6. 13. Deu. 19. 16, 17, 18. Pro. 6. 19. & 12. 17. & 21. 28. & 25. 18. Ps. 35. 11.
Q. 14. Is there no way to prevent this danger to Mankind?
A. God can do it: If he give wise and righteous Rulers to the World, they may do much towards …t: But wicked Rulers use false Witness as the Devil doth, for to destroy the Just. As Iezebel did.
Q. 15. How should good Rulers avoid it?
A. 1. By causing Teachers to open the danger of …t to the People. 2. Some old Canons made inva…id the Witness of all notorious wicked men: How can he be trusted in an Oath, that maketh no Conscience of Drunkenness, Fornication, Lying or other Sin?
Q. 16. How then are so few destroyed by false Witnesses?
A. It is the wonderful Providence of God, declaring himself the Governour of the World: that when there are so many thousand wicked men, who all have a mortal hatred to the Godly, and will daily Swear and Lie for nothing; and any two of these might take away our Lives at pleasure, there are yet so few this way cut off. But God hath not left himself without witness in the World, and hath revenged false Witness on many, and made Conscience a terrible Accuser for this Crime.lProv. 19. 5. 9.
Q. 17. What is the positive Duty of the ninth Commandement?
A. 1. To do Justice to all men in our places.
2. To defend the Innocent to the utmost of ou… just Power. If a Lawyer will not do it for the Love of Justice and Man, without a Fee when he canno… have it, he breaketh this Commandement.
3. To reprove Backbiters, and tell them of their Sin.
4. To give no Scandal, but to live so blamelesly that Slanderers may not be believed.
5. On all just occasions especially to defend the Reputation of the Gospel, Godliness and Good men the Cause▪ and Laws of God, and not silently fo… self saving to let Satan and his Agents make them Odious by Lies, to the Seduction of the People… Souls.mProv. 25. 23. Psal▪ 15. 3, 5.