might sink if she liad not paid for the wares slic took ; she fell down speeclilcss immediately, and died in the place. A liar is not fit to live in a commonwealth, r.yinq; takes away all society and converse with men ; how can you converse with him whom you cannot believe what he saith ? Lying shuts men out of heaven. Rev. xxii. 15., " Without are dogs, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie." And as it is a great sin to tell a lie, so it is a worse sin to teach a lie, Isa. ix. 15., " The prophet that teacheth lies." He who broacheth error teacheth lies ; he spreads the plague ; he not only damns himself, but helps to damn, others. (2.) Truth in words is opposed to dissembling. The heart and tongue should go together, as the dial goes exactly with the sun. To speak fair to one's face, and not to mean what one speaks, is no better than a lie : Ps. Iv. 21., " The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart." Some have an art at this, they can flatter and hate. Hierom, speaking of the Arians, saith, " they pretended friendship, they kissed my hands, but plotted mischief against me." Prov. xxix. 5., " A man that flattereth his neighbour, spreadeth a net for his feet." Impia subdulci melle ve- nena latent, — falsehood in friendship is a
lie. Counterfeiting of friendship is worse than coiAiterfeiting of money. This is con- trary to God who is a God of truth.
2. We must be true in our profession of religion. Let practice go along with pro- fession, Eph. iv. 21.., " Rightt'ousness and true holiness." yypocrisy in religion is a lie ; the hypocrite is like a face in a glass, there is the show of a face, but no true face, so he makes show of holiness, but hath no truth of it, it is but the face in the glass. Ephraim pretended to be that whicli he was not ; and what saith God of him ? IIos. xi. 12., " Ephraim compasseth me al)out with lies." By a lie in our words we deny the truth; by a lie in our profession we disgrace it. Not to be what we profess to God, is telling a lie ; and the scrij)ture makes it little better than bl.isphemy, Rev. ii. 9., " I know the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews, and are not." O ! I be- seech you, labour in this to be like God; he is a God of truth ; he can as well part with his Deity as his verity ; be, I say, like God, be true in vour words, be true in your j)r()fession ; God's cliiidren are children that will not lie, Ps. li. 6. When God sees " Truth in the inward parts," and " lips in which is no guile," now he sees his own image in you; this draws God's heart to-
w
ards
you;
likeness draws love.
BUT ONE GOD.
Quest. V. THE fifth question is. Are there more Gods than one ?
Axs. There is but one only, the living and true God.
That there is a God hath been proved ; and those that will not believe the verity of his essence, shall feel the severity of his wrath, Deut. ^^. 4., " Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord." He is the * only God,' Deut. iv. 39., " Know there- fore this day, and consider it in thy heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath, there is none else." Isa. xlv. 21., " A just God and a Saviour ; there is none besides me." There are many titular gods; kings represent God; their regal sceptre is an emblem of
his power and authority. Judges are call- ed ' gods,' Ps. Ixxxii. 6., " I have said, ye are gods," viz. set in God's place to do jus- tice ; but dying gods, v. 7., " Ye shall die like men." 1 Cor. ^nii. 5, 6., " There be that are called gods ;" " but to us there is but one God."
Argnment 1. There is but one First Cause that hath its being of itself, and on wliich all other beings depend. As in the heavens, the primum mobile moves all the other orbs, so (iod gives life and motion to every thing existent. There can be but one God, be- cause there is but one First Cause.
2. There is but one infinite Being, tiiere- fore there is but one God. There cannot be two infinites : Jer. xxiii. 24., " Do not
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BUT ONE GOD.
1 fill heaven and earth,** saitli the Lord? If there be one infinite, filling all places at once, how can there be any room for ano- ther infinite to subsist ?
3. There is but one Omnipotent Power. If there be t\t'o Omnipotents, then we must always suppose a content between these two ; tliat which one would do, the other power being equal, would o])pose, and so all things would be brought into confusion. If a ship should have two pilots of equal power, one would be ever crossing the other; Avhen one would sail, the other would cast anchor, here were a confusion, und the ship must needs perish. The or- der and harmony in the world, the constant and uniform government of all things, is a clear argument that there is but one Om- nipotent, one God that rules all : Isa. xliv. fi., " I am the first, and I am the last, and besides me there is no God."