The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 171

L TnE soOUL DUTl.. "Speak every man truth with his neighbour." What i/1 truth? There is truth as opposed to falsehood, which is an express intention to deceive. There is truth of character, which is opposed to insincerity. Both kinds of truth are manifest in three circumstances-in common conversation, in bearing testi- mony, in making and in keeping promises. (1) Christians ought to be truthful in ordinary conversation, on the most trivial as well as on the most solemn occasions, because if a strict veracity is not maintained in the unguarded moments of life, it seldom remains long unshaken under a stress of temptation. The slightest deviation from it, either in the way of exaggeration or distortion, is inconsistent with the candour and simplicity which ought to adorn a Christian. The prohibition of falsehood is absolute in Scripture. "Ye shall not lie to one another" (Lev. xix. 11); "Lie not one to another" (CoL iii. 9); "Speak every man truth with his neighbour" (Zech. viii. 16). (2) .Truth must be maintained in bearing testimony. "A false witness speaketh lies" (Prov. vi. 19), and thus "soweth discord among brethren." It is the characteristic mark of a citizen of Zion that he will not take up a report against his neighbour (Ps. xv. 3). No affection, no prejudice, no fear of man, ought to lead to a false, or partial, or mis- leading representation of facts. Perjury undermines society more than murder. (3) Truth must be kept in the matter of promises. There must be a real intention to fulfil them when they are made. The citizen of Zion "speaketh the truth in his heart" (Ps. xv. 2). Promises to men stand on the same footing with vows to God. "Better it is that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay" (Eccles. v. 5). We must be as conscientious in performance as we are in promise. There may be cases, no doubt, in which the obligation is superseded by hi~her considerations. Herod wa:, not bound by his oath to the daughter of Herodias. There may be cases likewise in which there is a providential disability to carry out a promise. But if we possess a full capacity of action, our duty is to fulfil our engagement. The citizen in Zion "sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not" (Ps. xv. 4). II. THE MOTIVE TO THIS SOCIAL DUTY. "Because we are members one of another." This is a religious consideration that is not designed to e:s:cludc other grounds of obligation to truthfulness. 1. But the principle here lnid down applies equally to mankind in general. (1) A lie is a breach of the social contract. It tends to make society impossible, for society only e:s:ists through the trust that man exercises in man. It turns that instrument of speech, which God has given us for our mutual comfort, into a means of estrangement. Therefore "the righteous man hateth lying" (Prov. xiii. 6). (2) It is a breach of the golden rule that we should do to others a.s we would have them do to us. Liars expect others to speak the truth to them, and complain when it is not done. Thorefore truth is what every man has a right to expect and desire from another. We have no more right to deceive our neighbour than we have a right to defraud him. (3) It destroys the comfort and peace of society. What a picture of its effects is i.u Jer. ix. 4, 5 !-" 1'ake ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slandors. And they will deceive every one bis neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniq_uity." (4) It prepares the way for further demoralization of character. 2. The principlo here laid down specially applies to Christians. 1'hey are not only members of Christ, but of one another. Chrysostom supposes the impossibility of the eye lying to the foot or the foot to the eye, in the presence of danger. Thus it would be eq_ually unnatural, by the very law of their union, as members one of another, that believers should deceive ouo another by false- hood. The consideration of this membership suggests a relation (1) to that God thu Father who is "a God of truth" (Deut. xxxii. 4), who" is not a man that he sliould lie" (Numb. xxiii. 19), who gave oath and promise as" the two immutable things, in which it is impossible that God should lio" (Heb. vi. 18); (2) to that Saviour who is the Truth as well as the Life-" the faithful and true Witness "-ho.viug "no guile found in his mouth;" (3) and to that Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of truth (John xiv. 17), and has given us the Scriptures of truth. INFERENCES. 1. Let believers be careful as to truth. " If any man seemeth to be religious, and briilleth not his tongue "-particularly from lying-" that man's religion is vain." Let them pray with tho psalmist," Remove far from me the way of lying."  170 THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [oH, IV. 1-32,