Works, Chapter 1 · Section 4
SECT. IV.
SEcondly, Be righteous in thy Words and Expressions, Be righteous in thy words and expressions.as well as in thy Works. The Christians tongue should be his hearts interpreter, and reveal its mind and meaning; and the Christians hand should justifie his tongue, by turning his words into deeds: Though the right Christian is not a worshipper of Mercury, to whom tongues were only offered in sacrifice; yet with the Athenians he doth speak well, as with the Lacedemonians do well. The Burgesse of the new Ierusalem is known by this livery; He walketh uprightly, worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart; He sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not, Psal. 15. 2, 4.
First, He speaketh the truth in his heart; His speech is the genuine and natural off-spring of his heart; there is a great resemblance between the Child and the Parent; That language which is confused, and not to be understood, speaks not a Citizen of Sion, but a builder of Babel or Babylon. When the words are spurious, and not the hearts own; like Abimelech, they destroy the Family of which they descend; sometimes that tongue cuts the owners throat. The getting of treasure by a lying tongue, is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death, Prov. 21. 6. The deceitful tongue seeketh death, though not intentionally, yet euentually; The Saints words and thoughts are univocal, they speak as they think; and are like clarified honey, clear to the bottom; his heart is the Mine, his mind frameth the matter, and his tongue is the shop that exposeth it to publique view.
Secondly, He sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. His hand will make good his lawful promises, how much soever they shall be to his prejudice. There is a Symmetry between his hand and his tongue; he is slow to promise, not hasty to enter into bonds, but being once engaged, he will be sure to perform. He dares not falsifie his word, knowing that his God was an earwitness.
It was the saying of Lysander, That if the Lyons skin would not serve (to cozen with) the foxes must be sowed to it, and that Children were to be deceived with toyes, and men with Oaths; but this Fox himself was at last taken in a trap, and slain at the foot of the Theban Walkes. The Justice of God will some time or other seize upon such unjust men; False conceptions are as dangerous to the souls of men, as to the bodies of women.
The Romans built a Temple to the Goddess Fidelity, and offered sacrifice to her image, so highly did they esteem of faithfulness. Attilius Regulus, their General against the Carthaginians, being taken Prisoner and sent to Rome with conditions of peace, upon his word to return, if the Terms were not accepted, judging the conditions dishonourable,Tul. de. Offic. he disswaded the Romans from embracing them, and went back to his enemies according to his promise, though he knew beforehand, that upon his return they would presently put him to death. The Prisoner that got from Hannibal by eluding his Oath, was by the Senate apprehended and sent back again, saith Livie. Attica …des, was free, or sure hold; and Atticus testis, one that keeps touch, because the Athenians were so faithful to their words. What a shame is it then for Christians, to regard their Promises and Oaths no more then their old cloaths, which they throw by, when they have made what use of them they desire. Such men do much wound their Credit (that after a little knowledge of such Nullifidians, none will trust them) but much more their consciences. The deceitful and bloody are joyned together, Psa. 5. 6.Vsus frandis in bello gerendo laudabilis, in aliis actionibus d…test ibilis. Machiav. He that is deceitful to others, is bloody to himself; he may rase others skin, but he wrongs his own soul, and draweth his own heart-blood. Machiavel as bad as he was, would not allow fraud to lodge, save in Souldiers Tents.
The jealous God hath made himself known to be a God of truth in accomplishing his threatings on those that have affirmed and attested such lyes. One Ann Averies Widow (in the days of Queen Elizabeth) having bought six pound of Tow in a Shop in Woodstreet, falsly said that she had paid for it, and swore to it, but she presently fell down and dyed to the terrour of all such unrighteous and perjured persons. The trade indeed of lying, hath crept almost into all trades, as if it were the only way to get a livelyhood, when it hath deprived some of their lives, Act. 5. 7, 8. A lying tongue is one of the six things which the Lord hates, Prov. 6. 17. The Scripture speaks of such persons, that their own tongues shall fall upon them, meaning to destroy them, as Benaiah fell on Ioab, and Davids Souldier on the Amalekite; for so the Phrase is frequently taken, Psa. 64. 8. 1 King. 2. 29, 30. 2 Sam. 1. 15.
Reader, Be so true to thy own soul, as to put away lying, and to speak the truth to thy Neighbors, Eph. 4. 25. Do not delude thy self with mental Reservations, or Iesuitical AEquivocation, but let thy words and thoughts joyn in consort. A Christian should be like Chrystal, the same all over, and visible throughout. As our cloaths represent the proportion of our bodies, so should our words, the proportion of our minds; Twas an unpolitique precept which Lewis the eleventh of France gave his Son, when he charged him to learn no more Latine then what would teach him to dissemble; Deceit is a gin that men set often to catch serpents, which when they have caught, sting themselves. Cleomenes, King of Lacedemonia, who making Truce with the Argives for seven days, and fell upon their Quarters in the night, was repelled by the Argive Women, and afterwards banished into Egypt, where he miserably slew hiself. Promises are (as it were) the Connection and Ligaments of the several parts in the body Politique; if they be once broken asunder and losed, the whole will quickly be dissolved. Such men are like to some fruits, which by their luscious smell, and delightful colour, invite a man to eat, but prove unsavoury and unwholsome. He that had onelyonly natures moonlight to see by, could say, Perditissimi est hominis, fallere eum, qui laesus non esset, nisi credidisset; None but the most villainous will deceive him, who had been safe if he had not trusted, saith Cicero.
Thy righteousness must extend to all, according to their several places and relations. That righteousness which is real, will be universal; Render therefore to all their due, tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custome, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour, Rom. 13. 7. He that is just in his Actions, hath a due respect to all persons, whether Superiors, or Equals, or Inferiors. He who is righteous to his fellow-Subjects, and wrongs his Soveraign in his Custom or Tribute, is a Rebel against the Crown and Dignity of Iesus Christ. He is undutiful to the King of Nations, who payeth not his due to the King of that Nation in which he liveth. Render (saith Christ) to Caesar the things that are Caesars, and to God, the things that are Gods. Hierom on that place doth well observe, that the name of Caesar is not proper, but Appellative, because from the first Roman Emperor, Iulius Caesar, all his Successors were so called; Hereby Christ intimates that Tribute belongs to every person cloathed with the supreme power; And Gerrhard in his Harmony saith, that our Saviour doth particularly in that Text understand Tiberius, that monster of men, enjoyning payment of Tribute to that persecuting Prince. How great then is their crime, who cheat a King that is a Christian? Such unnatural Members must expect to fare the worse for impoverishing their Head. The wealth of a Political Father, is both a credit and support to his Children. If the Root be kept without water, the branches must needs wither.
The Ancients emblemed a just man, by one with a pair of ballances in one hand, a sword in another, and both his eyes shut, to dispense impartially to all Iustice, both commutative and distributive; A Magi…strate must distribute justice to every one a like. He may see a difference in causes, but no difference in persons. When righteousness reigneth, its said to run down like water, and as a mighty stream Amos. 5. 24. Now water is as free for the poor as the rich, the stream runs down by the meanest Cot…tage, as much as by the Princes Court; Righteousness must be as common as water, as universal as a stream; David reigned over all Israel, and executed Iustice, and judgment to all his people, 2 Sam. 8. 15. His righteousness was as large as his realm, to all his people.