(1.) A bearing false witness for another. Wlicn we do give our testimony for a per- son that is criminal and guilty, we justify him as if he were innocent, Isa. v. 23., " Which justify the wicked for a reward." He that goes to make a wicked man just, makes himself unjust.
(2.) There is a bearing false witness a- gainst another, /. e. when we accuse another in open court falsely. This is to imitate the devil who is the ' accuser of the breth- ren.' Though the devil is no adulterer, yet he is a false witness. Solomon saith, Prov. XXV. 18., " A man that beareth false wit- ness against his neighbour, is a maul and a sword ;" in his face he is hardened like an hammer; he cannot blush, he cares not what lie he witnesseth to; and he is a sword, — his tongue is a sword to wound him he witnesseth against in his goods or life : thus, 1 Kings xxi. 13., " There came in two men, children of Belial, and witnes- ♦ sed against Naboth, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king :" and their witness took away his life. The queen of Persia being sick, the magicians accused two godly virgins that they had by charms procured the queen's sickness ; whereupcm she caused these virgins to be sawn asun- der. A false witness doth pervert the place of judicature ; he corrupts the judge by making him pronounce a wrong sentence,
and causes the innocent to suffer. Ven- geance will find out the false witness, Prov. xix. 4., " A false witness shall not be un- punished." Deut. xix. 18, 19., " If the witness be a false witness, and hath testi- fied falsely against his brother, then shall ye do unto him as he had thought to have done unto his brother ;" i. e. If he had thought to have taken away his life, his own life shall go for it.
3. That which is condemned in the com- mandment is, swearing that which is false. When men take a false oath, and by that take away the life of another. Zcch. viii. 17., " Love no false oath." Chap. v. 2., " What seest thou ?" I answered, a flying roll." V. 3, 4., ' This is the curse that goelh forth, and it shall enter, saith the Lord, into the house of him that swearcth falsely by my name ; and it shall consume his house, with the timber thereof and stones thereof." The Scythians made a law, when a man did bind two sins together, a lie with an oath, he was to lose his head, because this sin did take away all truth and faith from among men. The devil hath taken great possession of such who dare swear to a lie. This is a manifest breach of this command- ment.
Use \st. Branch 1. It reproves the church of Rome, who will dispense with a lie, or a false oath, if it be to promote the Catholic cause. They approve of an officious lie; they hold some sins to be lawful ; they may as well hold some lies to be lawful. God hath no need of our lie. It is not lawful to tell a lie propter Dei gloriam, — if we were sure to bring glory to God by it, — as Aus- tin speaks
Branch 2. It reproves those who make no conscience of slandering others ; they come under the breach of this command- ment, Ps. 1. 20., " Thou sittest and sl.in- derest thy own mother's son." Jcr. xx. 10., " Report, say they, and we will report." Ezra iv. 15., " This city (?'. c. Jerusalem) is a rebellious city, and hurtful to kings and provinces." Paul was slandered as a mover of sedition, and the head of a faction, Acts xxiv. 5. The same word signifies both a slanderer and a devil, 1 Tim. iii. 1 1., " Not slanderers :" in the Greek, " Not devils." Some think it is no great matter to misre-
OF THE NINTH COMMANDMENT.
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