[3.] Thirdly, A lie draws its pedigree from the devil, and such as make a trade of lying, such are certainly Satan's children, 1 Kings xxii. 22 ; Acts v. 3-10 ; John viii. 44, 'Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do : he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.' 'When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it,' Gen. iii. Satan is the father of all sins, as well as the father of lies ; but here he is said to be a liar and the father
98 London's lamentations on [Isa. XLII. 24, 25.
of it, because by lying be first broiigbt sin into tbe world. Satan began bis kingdom by a lie, and by lies be still labours to U})bold it. He is tbe inventor and autbor of all tbe lies tbatbe in the world. Tbe devil's breasts, says Lutber, are very fruitful with lies. Liars are tbe devil's children by imitation. There are none that resemble him so much to the life as liars do. They are as like him as if they were spit out of the very mouth of him. Lying is a part of tbe devil's image. Other sins make men like beasts; but this of lying makes men like devils. Leo, speakhig of lying, saith : Tolam vim suam in mendacio diaholus collocavit, omniaque decepfionum genera de hoc venenatissimo artis sua: fonte produxit : The devil bath i)laced bis whole strength in lying, and from this most poisoned fountain of bis craft hath ho brought forth all kinds of deceit, i Now upon this account also I dare not charge the trade of lying upon such who feared tbe Lord within or without the walls of London. Though many that make a profession of Christ are no more like Christ than Michal's image of goats'-hair was like David ; yet all such as are really united to Christ, they are like to Christ, they bear upon them the image of Christ, they resemble him to the life. Jesus Christ is such a fountain, in which whosoever bathes, and of which whosoever drinks, they shall be sure to be changed into tbe same likeness from glory to glory, that is, from a lower degree of grace to a higher degree, even as by tbe Spirit of the Lord, 2 Cor.' iii. 18. Such as truly fear tbe Lord have an image of righteousness and holiness stamped upon them, and do more resemble Christ than Satan, Phil. iv. 23, 24 ; and therefore the trade of lying may not be charged upon them. But,
[4.] Fourthly, Have they not chosen rcdher to suffer, than hy lying either to free themselves from sufferings, or to secure themselves against sufferings ? Jerome writes of a brave woman, that being upon tiie rack, bade her persecutors do their worst ; for she was resolved ratb:er to die than to lie. Has not much of this spirit been upon them ? and therefore I dare not charge the trade of lying upon them. But,
[.5.] Fifthly, Such as t rid y /car the Lord, they hate lying: Ps. cxix. 163, ' I bate and abhor lying.' David hated lying as he bated hell itself. So Prov. xiii, 5, ' A righteous man bateth lying.' Lying is a noisome, stinking weed, and therefore a righteous man abhors to touch it, he bates to come near it, and can by no means endure tbe scent of it in others, least of all in himself. Justin IMartyr, speaking of the persecuted Christians, bath this memorable saying: In nostra est 2}otestate, ut quum inquirimur negemus ; scd vivcre nolumus menda- citer quicquum loqucntes, It is in our ]X)wer, when we are sought for and examined, to deny what we are, what we believe ; but we will not live speaking anything untruly.'- These blessed souls so bated and abhorred lying, that they would rather die than lie. A lie, saith Plato, is odious not only to the gods, but also to every wise man. Cleobulus, another lieathcn, allirmcth that every wise prudent man bateth a lie. Erasnnis liad such an antipathy against lying, that from his youth he would usually tremble at tbe sight of a noted liar. Now upon this
' Leo de Eleemos., scrm. 4.
* Justin Martyr, Ai)ol. 2, pro Christiauis.
ISA. XLII. 24j 25.] THE LATE FIERY DISPENSATION. 99
account also I dare not charge the trade of lying upon their score that truly fear the Lord. But,
[6.] Sixthly, Lying is that sad character and black brand that the Lord hath only put upon luicked and ungodly men : Ps. iv. 2, ' 0 ye sons of men,' — ye grandees who are potent at court, — ' how long will ye turn my glory into shame ? how long will ye love vanity and seek after leasing?' Ps. Iviii. 3, 'The wicked ai-e estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies ;' no sooner could they do anything, but they were doing evil, lisping out lies even as soon as they were born. Isa. xxx. 8, 9, ' Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever.' Why, what must he write ? mark ver. 9, ' That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord.' Now upon this account also I dare not charge the trade of lying upon them that feared the Lord in that great city before it was laid in ashes. But,
[7.] Seventhly, A trade of lying is inconsistent luith the relation of children : Isa. Ixiii. 8, ' Surely they are my people, children that will not lie : so he was their Saviour.' God makes this the ear-mark of his people, that they are children that will not lie, Col. iii. 9. When the heathen philosopher was asked in what things men were most like unto Grod, he answered, In their speaking of truth. Not lying is one of the choice characters by which the Lord doth difference and distin- guish his own peculiar people from other men: Zeph. iii. 13, ' The remnant of Israel shall do no iniquity, nor speak lies ; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth.' In the primitive times this was a common saying, Ghristianus est, non mentietw\ He is a Christian, he will not lie : Rev. xiv. 5, ' And in their mouth was found no guile : for they are without fault before the throne of God.' Now upon this account also I dare not charge the trade of lying upon those gracious souls that feared the Lord within or without the walls of Lon- don, before it was turned into a ruinous heap. But,