accountabilities-abused possessions-abused privileges-and abused mercies, be visited with perpetual banishment from the glorious presence of God, and with misery for ever. To escape this awful ejectment, let all who hear this day the warning voice seek earnestly to improve the day of grace. Let them heed apostolic advice, "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure for if ye do these things ye shall never fail. For so an entrance shall be ministered to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." TRUTHFULNESS AND HONESTY ENFORCED. "These are the things that ye shall do; speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates; and let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath; for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord."Zech. viii. 16, 17. PASTORAL ADDRESSES. NO. V. As the light of the sun appears more glorious when compared with the gloom and darkness of midnight-and as the beauty and loveliness of spring is heightened by contrast with the sterility and barrenness of winter-so the perfection, beauty, and holiness of the law of God appear pre-eminently excellent, when contrasted with the maxims of pagan morality, or with the lax principles of modern moral and political philosophy. Of the former, some examples have come down to us, which sufficiently indicate the "blindness of heart" that characterized their wisest philosophers, and from which we may infer the still grosser darkness which enveloped the multitude. They taught, that "A lie is better than a hurtful truth; that "Good is better than truth; that "When telling a lie will be profitable, it may be told;" that "He may lie who knows how to do it in a suitable time; and that "There is nothing decorous in truth but when it is profitable." And of the principles of modern moral and political philosophy, the following examples from an eminent writer may suffice to show the superiority of the Christian ethics. He teaches that falsehoods may be uttered without criminality, when no one is deceived, such as "Compliments in the subscription of a letter-a servant denying his master-a prisoner pleading not guilty-to deceive an enemy-and when what is related, though false, is inoffensive." It is not difficult, I think, to perceive that such principles, and such maxims, if admitted and acted upon, must effectually destroy that mutual confidence which is essential to the peace, order, and well-being of society, and open the door for the admission of universal distrust, suspicion, jealousy, and hatred. It is, therefore, a mercy that we are not left to the guidance of these false lights; but are furnished with a perfect rule, an unerring and unchangeable standard of morals, by which to regulate and frame our lives. "We have a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well if ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place.". "These are the things that ye shall do; speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates; and let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath; for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord." This passage enjoins the performance of certain important duties— the avoidance of certain gross evils-and enforces its injunctions and admonitions by one of the most solemn sanctions. 66 1. The first duty here enjoined, is that of strict integrity, and truthfulness in our ordinary intercourse with each other. Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour." Truth or sincerity is the basis of all virtue, the foundation of social order, and the spring of both individual and social happiness. "Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." The cultivation of the spirit of truthfulness and honesty is therefore a matter of the highest importance, involving our present and future well-being. It is, I am aware, contrary to the deceitful maxim of the world, which teaches that we should regard self-interest and gain above honour and truth. But this maxim, in common with many others, which obtain extensive approbation, has its foundation in the fallacious and deadly opinion, that the great end of life is to "buy and sell and get gain, and to gratify our mean and selfish dispositions, at the sacrifice of every noble feeling, every kindly affection and holy sympathy. Hence the dissimulation, falsehood, guile, and perfidy, which sap the foundations of society, destroy mutual confidence, and turn every man's hand against his brother. Hence the suspicion, jealousy, strife, and variance, which characterize our ordinary business transactions. And hence, also, those odious, but proverbial, expressions, "That if we would avoid imposition, we must suspect every man; place no trust or confidence in the virtue, sincerity, or uprightness of our own brother; but, in short, regard every man with whom we converse as a liar, every man with whom we trade as dishonest, and all society as a community of monsters preying upon and devouring one another." And nothing will effectually put an end to this mutual distrust, but the universal practice of this holy and divine precept, "Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour." 2. The violations of this rule are so numerous, and the ways in which it is violated are so diversified, as to render it extremely difficult to give anything like a correct picture of the evil as it exists in all its extent, and in all its deformity. Direct and positive falsehood, although one of the most vile and disgusting forms in which truth is violated, is, we fear, by no means its most common, or most dangerous mode. Few men, possessing any spark of honourable feeling, will stoop to the degradation of a palpable lie, and hence this abominable vice is the brand of the abandoned-the mark of the outlaw from the society of even those who are regarded as respectable sinners. A common liar is, therefore, far less dangerous, and far less injurious to society, than some others whose character will come under our notice. "Lying lips," in this sense, "are an abomination" to men, as well as to God. 66 There are, however, a thousand ways in which this rule is constantly violated, without involving the transgressor in the disgrace of the common liar. "Foolish talking and jesting," is one of its most common aspects, and by no means the least criminal, or the least injurious, to virtue. The apostle says such things are not convenient." "That is," says Barnes, "are not fit or proper-do not become the character of Christians. Christians should be grave and serious, though cheerful and pleasant; they should feel that they have great interests at stake, and that the world has too. They are redeemed, not to make sport; purchased with precious blood, for other purposes than to make men laugh." Exaggeration and over-colouring of facts and incidents, is another of its forms. Without being guilty of a direct and positive departure from the truth, as to facts, we may so relate those facts, as to convey a very erroneous impression to the mind of the hearer. This is done almost every day; and matters of little importance, and of the utmost simplicity, are invested with a character of seriousness, and surrounded with an air of mystery, that is sometimes truly ludicrous. We should never colour facts, but relate them in their naked simplicity. Dark insinuations, affecting the character of others, where nothing is positively affirmed, is another, and one of the most injurious forms of this evil. Those dark hints at something wrong, accompanied with an hypocritical expression of regret, are more certainly destructive of a man's reputation, than the gravest charge openly preferred. And the man who thus insinuates something against the character of another, without affirming anything particular, is a moral assassin, a vile, wicked slanderer. If what he insinuates be true, common honesty-to say nothing of God's lawdemands that he should speak out; and if it be untrue, he deservcs to be branded as infamous, and to be banished from the society of honest men. Attempts to conceal our own character, by assuming another which does not belong to us-in other words, hypocrisy and dissimulation-is another form of lying. Putting on the appearance of friendship and kindness, when the heart is full of enmity, hatred, or uncharitableness, and uttering professions and promises which we are unable to perform, or which we never intend to perform, all these involve a direct breach of the holy law of God. And lastly, the violation of the rule, "Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour," is exhibited in the conduct of those who make a practice of overstating the value or concealing the defects of what they wish to sell-and of depreciating the value of what they desire to buy. And these practices are, alas! fearfully prevalent. The "boastful pretensions," the extravagant "puffing," the unworthy trickery, to which many sellers resort, form one of the worst characteristics of the age, and expose the souls of thousands to destruction: and on the other hand, Solomon's description of some purchasers in his day, is equally applicable to thousands at the present time-"It is naught, his it is naught, saith the buyer; but when he is gone then he. way, T boasteth." The community is full of falsehoods of that kind, and they are not all confined to the people of the world. "Nothing is more important in a community than simple truth, and yet it is to be feared that nothing is more habitually disregarded."— BARNES. "Wherefore, putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour; for we are members one of another. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." II. But we are not only forbidden to speak that which is false and injurious to our neighbour. The commandment is exceeding broad, and extends also to the hidden man of the heart: entering into its secret chambers, and condemning the thought of evil which may lurk there. "And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour." To investigate motives-to understand the imaginations, of the thoughts-to try the hearts and reins-is the peculiar prerogative of God alone. "For His eyes are upon the ways of man, and He seeth all his goings. There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves." And in the eye of God's law, evil conceived, willed, or designed against our neighbour is as criminal as evil executed. "We have to do with an omniscient God, in whose eyes every internal action is a work, good or bad, to be reckoned for." And the adultery of the eye, or the murder of the heart, will by no means go unpunished. The evil here forbidden assumes a variety of forms, such as envy, hatred, malice, uncharitableness, covetousness, lust. These are the seeds of evil, which vegetating in the corrupt ground of the heart, will bring forth all the fruits of unrighteousness, and ungodliness in the life. "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, theft, false witness, blasphemies.' "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life." > HI. "And love no false oath." To be guilty of uttering falsehood is, under any circumstances, a crime of great magnitude, and an evidence of gross abandonment; but to add perjury to duplicity, and to employ the name and authority of Jehovah to give the colour of truth to a statement utterly false-this is the resort of utter recklessness, the sign of a heart utterly lost to every virtuous emotion, feeling and principle, and beyond which it is hardly possible to conceive a greater degree of guilt and wickedness.. "If a man," says the law of God, "vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth." And one of the marks which David gives of a citizen of Zion is, that he "sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not." That we are bound to keep our word under any circumstances-except where we may rashly have promised or vowed what would be sinful if performed-is clear from the word of God; but additional weight appears to be given to this duty, when accompanied with the solemnity of an oath. I would also here observe that we should be careful, not lightly, and on any trivial occasion, to use the name of God as an oath. This is too frequently done even by professing Christians. How often do we hear such expressions as. ness,"-"God knows I would, or, fost rises This practice, together with the fron magistrates, and the text enjoine saan ng man speak truth and act ap Whatsu d hates, WE Hoves truth, Listed 200 Lord, things jui s your as made the Lord's and what is for him. Some ath; but the Lord Such endowments. They ing, a hinderance than a he |