Not Speak False Witness Against Thy Neighbour: And, Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbour’s House, the Fourth Sermon
WE are now come to the exposition of the two last precepts of the ten commandments. The ninth commandment is: “Do not speak false witness against thy neighbour.” By this precept is confirmed faith in covenants and contracts: it ruleth the tongue, and commendeth unto us verity, the fairest virtue of all other, and teacheth us to use modesty and sincerity both in word and deed. Hitherto yet have we heard nothing in all God’s commandments touching the tongue, but a little only in the third commandment. But of the tongue 5 do arise the greatest commodities and discommodities of our life. “For the tongue” (saith James) “is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth. And the tongue is fire, even a world of wickedness. So is the tongue set among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire of hell. All the nature of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and things of the sea, is meeked and [4 preces suas iterat, Lat.] [5 patrem urget, Lat. ]
tamed of the nature of men’: but the tongue can no man tame, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith we bless our God and Father; and therewith curse we men that are made after the similitude of God. Out of one mouth proceed both blessing and cursing.” Therefore very well and necessarily is the way set down in this ninth precept, how men should frame and order their tongues.
Now summarily this precept doth command us to use our tongues well, that neither privately or publicly we do our neighbour harm, either in his life, good name, or riches, by word or writing, or otherwise by painting, neither by simulation nor dissimulation, nor yet so much as by a beck or a nod. All things are forbidden that are against truth and sincerity. There is required at all our hands simplicity, plain speaking, and telling of the truth. Briefly, we are commanded every man to do his endeavour mutually to maintain plain dealing and verity. For in the twenty-third of Exodus we read that the Lord did charge us, saying: Thou shalt not have to do with a false report.” And in the nineteenth of Leviticus, “Ye shall not steal, saith the Lord, nor lie, nor deal falsely one with another.” And the apostle James, after he had touched the evils of the tongue (especially because out of one mouth proceeded good and bad) doth add: “These things, my brethren, cught not to be so. Doth a fountain at one hole send forth sweet water and bitter also? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? So can no fountain give both salt water and fresh also.” Verily, since God hath given to man a tongue, that by the means of it one man may know another’s meaning, that it may bless or praise God, and do good to all men?; it is altogether requisite that it should be applied to the use that it was made ἴον, that thereby a man out of a good heart might utter good talk, clear from deceit and hurt, from blasphemy and railings, and from filthy speaking.
But it is best for us by parts more nearly to sift the special points of this precept or argument. First of all, in this commandment it is forbidden every man in the court before a judge to bear false witness. Therefore all witness
[1 domatur et domita est, Lat. ] [2 etiam sibi ipsi. Lat. omitted: and to one’s self also.] [ ut imago respondeat archetypo, is Bullinger’s Latin. ]]
bearing simply is not forbidden us, but false witnessing only. “Do not speak (saith he) false witness.” It is lawful, therefore, to bear true witness, especially if a magistrate demand it of thee. And therefore the Hebrew phrase is very significant, and saith, “Answer not false witness against thy neighbour4.” Now he answereth, that is asked a question. And in bearing of witness, he that speaketh must have a regard of God alone and simple truth; he must lay aside all evil affections, hatred, fear, or all part-taking; he must hide nothing, nor dissemble in his speech: he must not devise any thing of his own making, nor corrupt the meaning of his words that spake; as those false witnesses did in the Gospel, when before the judges they said, “I will destroy this temple, and in three days build it again;” for they corrupted the meaning of Christ. And the Lord in the law doth say, “Thou shalt not take up a false report, neither shalt thou put thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil, neither shalt thou speak in a matter of justice according to the greater number, for to pervert judgment.” He therefore, that beareth false witness, committeth sin against God and his neighbour. For first of all, he staineth himself with sacrilege and perjury, and so by telling a lie in the name of God he doth despite to God himself. Moreover, he doth to his neighbour so much hurt, as he taketh damage by the judge’s sentence either in body, goods, or loss of life. For it is manifest that the judge, being moved with thy false witness, did punish the accused party in body, goods, or life itself: which he would not have done, had he not been drawn thereunto by thy false witnessing. And therefore a very good and just law is that, which Moses hath uttered in these words: “If a false witness be found among you, then shall ye do unto him as he had thought wickedly to have done to his brother: and thou shalt put evil away from the midst of thee: that the rest may hear and fear, and dare after that do no more such wickedness among you. Thou shalt have no compassion on him; but life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.” To this belongeth the saying of Salomon in the Proverbs, where he crieth, “God hateth a false witness.” And