LECTURE xx. THIRD COMMANDMENT. THE first commandment having provided that we should worship only the one true God; and the second prohibited worshipping him in a manner so unworthy and dangerous, as by images; the third proceeds to direct, that we preserve a due reverence to him in our whole conversation and behaviour. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. Under these words are forbidden several things which differ in their degrees of guilt. 1. The first, and highest offence is, when we swear by the name of God falsely. For vanity in Scripture, frequently means, something which is not what it would appear. And hence using God's name in vain, or to vanity, principally signifies, applying it to confirm a falsehood. Doing this deliberately, is one of the most shocking crimes of which we can be guilty. For taking an oath is declaring solemnly, that we know ourselves to be in the presence of God, and him to be a witness of what we speak: it is appealing to him, that our words express the very truth of our hearts; and renouncing all title to his mercy, if they do not. This it is to swear: and think then what it must be, to swear falsely. In other sins men endeavour to forget God: but perjury is daring and braving the Almighty to his very face; bidding him take notice of the falsehood that we utter, and do his worst. Now of this dreadful crime we are guilty, if ever we swear, that we do not know or believe what indeed we do; or that we do know or believe, what indeed we do not: if ever, being upon our oaths, we mislead those, whom we ought to inform; and give any other than the exactest and fairest account that we can, of any matter, concerning which we are examined. Again, if we promise upon oath to do a thing, without firmly designing to do it; or if we promise not to do a thing, without firmly designing to abstain from it: this is also forswearing ourselves. Nay further provided the thing which we promise, be lawful; if we do not ever after take all the care, that can be reasonably expected, to make our promise good, we are guilty of perjury; and of living in it, so long as we live in that neglect. If indeed a person hath sworn to do, what he thought he could have done; and it proves afterwards unexpectedly, that he cannot; such a one is chargeable only with mistake, or inconsiderateness at most. And if we either promise, or threaten any thing, which we cannot lawfully do: making such a promise is a sin; but keeping it would be another, perhaps a greater sin; and therefore it innocently may, and in conscience ought to be broken. But if we have promised what we may lawfully, but only cannot conveniently, perform; we are by no means on that account released from our engagement: unless either we were unqualified to promise, or were deceived into promising; or the person to whom we have engaged, voluntarily sets us at liberty; or the circumstances of the case be plainly and confessedly such, that our promise was not originally designed to bind us in them. You see then what is perjury. And you must see, it is not only the directest and grossest affront to God; for which reason it is forbidden in the first table of the ten commandments; but the most pernicious injury to our fellow-creatures; on which account you will find it again forbidden in the second table. If persons will assert falsely upon oath: no one knows what to believe; no one's property or life is safe. And if persons will promise falsely upon oath no one can know whom to trust; all security of government and human society, all mutual confidence in trade and commerce, in every relation and condition, is utterly at an end. With the greatest reason therefore are perjured wretches abhorred of all the world. And no interest of our own, no kindness or compassion for other persons, no turn or purpose of whatsoever sort to be served by it, can ever justify our swerving at all from truth, either in giving evidence, or entering into engagements. Nor must we think in such cases to come off with equivocations, evasions, and quibbles; and imagine it innocent to deceive this way. On the contrary, the more artful and cunning our falsehoods are, the more deliberate and mischievous, and therefore the wickeder, they are. Be not deceived; God is not mocked* : and the following are the declarations of his sacred word to the upright man: Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle, and rest upon thy holy hill? He that speaketh the truth from his heart, and hath used no deceit with his tongue: he that sweareth unto his neighbour and disappointeth him not, though it were to his own hindrance t. But to the perjured; Seeing + Psalm xv. 1, 2, 3. 5. * Gal. vi. 7. he despised the oath, by breaking the covenant; thus saith the Lord God: As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, I will recompense it upon his head *. [Let us all stand in awe of so dreadful a threatening, and avoid so horrible a guilt. Particularly at present, let all, who have sworn allegiance to the king, faithfully keep it, and that in regard to the oath of Godt. And let those who have not sworn, remember however, that merely claiming the protection of a government implies some promise of being dutiful to it in return: and that a successful rebellion would not only tempt multitudes of our fellow-subjects to perjury, but lay our country, its laws and religion, at the absolute mercy of a faith-breaking church ‡.] One thing more should be added here; for it cannot well be mentioned too often, that next to false swearing, false speaking and lying, whether in what we assert or what we promise, is a grievous sin, and hateful to God and man. Though we do not call on our Maker to be witness, yet he is a witness of whatever we say. And it is presumptuous wickedness to utter an untruth in the presence of the God of truth §: It is also at the same time very hurtful to other persons and very foolish with respect to ourselves. For they who will lie, to conceal their faults, or to carry their ends, are perpetually found out, disappointed and ashamed, for the most part, in a very little while and then, and for ever after, they are distrusted and disbelieved, even when they speak truth; as indeed who can depend upon such, or who would venture to employ them? Many other faults Ezek. xvii. 18, 19. + Eccl. viii. 2. This paragraph was added in the time of the rebellion, 1745. § Psalm xxxi. 5. may be borne, so long as honesty and sincerity last : but a failure of these cannot be passed over: so just is Solomon's observation; The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment *. 2. Another way of taking God's name in vain is when we swear by it needlessly, though it be not falsely. For this also the word in vain signifies. One way of doing so, is by rash and inconsiderate vows: for a vow, being a promise made solemnly to God, partakes of the nature of an oath. And there may possibly be sometimes good reasons for entering into this kind of engagement. But vowing to do what there is no use of doing, is trifling with our Creator: making unlawful vows, is directly telling him, we will disobey him: making such without necessity, as are difficult to keep, is leading ourselves into temptation: and indeed making any, without much thought and prudent advice first, usually proves an unhappy snare. One vow we have all made, and were bound to make, that of our baptism, which includes every real good resolution. That therefore let us carefully keep and frequently ratify: and we shall scarce have occasion to make any more. Another very needless, and always sinful, use of God's name, is by oaths, in common discourse. Too many there are, who fill up with them a great part of their most trifling conversation: especially if ever so little warmth rises in talk, then they abound in them. Now it is unavoidable, but persons, who are perpetually swearing, must frequently perjure themselves. But were that otherwise it is great irrever *Prov. xii. 19. |