All sin is foolish upon many accounts; as proceeding from ignorance,
error, inconsiderateness, vanity; as implying weak judgment, and
irrational choice; as thwarting the dictates of reason, and best
rules of wisdom; as producing very mischievous effects to ourselves,
bereaving us of the chief goods, and exposing us to the worst evils.
What can be more egregiously absurd than to dissent in our opinion
and discord in our choice from infinite wisdom; to provoke by our
actions sovereign justice, and immutable severity: to oppose
almighty power, and offend immense goodness; to render ourselves
unlike and contrary in our doings, our disposition, our state, to
absolute perfection and felicity? What can be more desperately wild
than to disoblige our best Friend, to forfeit His love and favour,
to render Him our enemy, who is our Lord and our Judge, upon whose
mere will and disposal all our subsistence, all our welfare does
absolutely depend? What greater madness can be conceived than to
deprive our minds of all true content here, and to separate our
souls from eternal bliss hereafter; to gall our consciences now with
sore remorse, and to engage ourselves for ever in remediless
miseries? Such folly doth all sin include: whence in Scripture
style worthily goodness and wisdom are terms equivalent; sin and
folly do signify the same thing.
If thence this practice be proved extremely sinful, it will thence
sufficiently be demonstrated no less foolish. And that it is
extremely sinful may easily be shown. It is the character of the
superlatively wicked man: "Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy
tongue frameth deceit. Thou sittest and speakest against thy
brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son." It is, indeed,
plainly the blackest and most hellish sin that can be; that which
giveth the grand fiend his names, and most expresseth his nature.
He is [Greek] (the slanderer); Satan, the spiteful adversary; the
old snake or dragon, hissing out lies, and spitting forth venom of
calumnious accusation; the accuser of the brethren, a murderous,
envious, malicious calumniator; the father of lies; the grand
defamer of God to man, of man to God, of one man to another. And
highly wicked surely must that practice be, whereby we grow
namesakes to him, conspire in proceeding with him, resemble his
disposition and nature. It is a complication, a comprisal, a
collection and sum of all wickedness; opposite to all the principal
virtues (to veracity and sincerity, to charity and justice),
transgressing all the great commandments, violating immediately and
directly all the duties concerning our neighbour.
To lie simply is a great fault, being a deviation from that good
rule which prescribeth truth in all our words; rendering us unlike
and disagreeable to God, who is the God of truth (who loveth truth,
and practiseth it in all His doings, who abominateth all falsehood);
including a treacherous breach of faith towards mankind; we being
all, in order to the maintenance of society, by an implicit compact,
obliged by speech to declare our mind, to inform truly, and not to
impose upon our neighbour; arguing pusillanimous timorousness and
impotency of mind, a distrust in God's help, and diffidence in all
good means to compass our designs; begetting deception and error, a
foul and ill-favoured brood: lying, I say, is upon such accounts a
sinful and blamable thing; and of all lies those certainly are the
worst which proceed from malice or from vanity, or from both, and
which work mischief, such as slanders are.
Again, to bear any hatred or ill-will, to exercise enmity towards
any man, to design or procure any mischief to our neighbour, whom
even Jews were commanded to love as themselves, whose good, by many
laws, and upon divers scores, we are obliged to tender as our own,
is a heinous fault; and of this apparently the slanderer is most
guilty in the highest degree. For evidently true it is which the
wise man affirmeth, "A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted
with it;" there is no surer argument of extreme hatred; nothing but
the height of ill-will can suggest this practice. The slanderer is
an enemy, as the most fierce and outrageous, so the most base and
unworthy that can be; he fighteth with the most perilous and most
unlawful weapon, in the most furious and foul way that can be. His
weapon is an envenomed arrow, full of deadly poison, which he
shooteth suddenly, and feareth not: a weapon which by no force can
be resisted, by no art declined, whose impression is altogether
inevitable and unsustainable. It is a most insidious, most
treacherous and cowardly way of fighting; wherein manifestly the
weakest and basest spirits have extreme advantage, and may easily
prevail against the bravest and worthiest; for no man of honour or
honesty can in way of resistance or requital deign to use it, but
must infallibly without repugnance be borne down thereby. By it the
vile practiser achieveth the greatest mischief that can be. His
words are, as the psalmist saith of Doeg, devouring words: "Thou
lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue:" and, "A man,"
saith the wise man, "that beareth false witness against his
neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow;" that is, he is
a complicated instrument of all mischiefs; he smiteth and bruiseth
like a maul, he cutteth and pierceth like a sword, he thus doth hurt
near at hand; and at a distance he woundeth like a sharp arrow; it
is hard anywhere to evade him, or to get out of his reach. "Many,"
saith another wise man, the imitator of Solomon, "have fallen by the
edge of the sword, but not so many as have fallen by the tongue.
Well is he that is defended from it, and hath not passed through the
venom thereof; who hath not drawn the yoke thereof, nor hath been
bound in its bands. For the yoke thereof is a yoke of iron, and the
bands thereof are bands of brass. The death thereof is an evil
death, the grave were better than it." Incurable are the wounds
which the slanderer inflicteth, irreparable the damages which he
causeth, indelible the marks which he leaveth. "No balsam can heal
the biting of a sycophant;" no thread can stitch up a good name torn
by calumnious defamation; no soap is able to cleanse from the stains
aspersed by a foul mouth. Aliquid adhaerebit; somewhat always of
suspicion and ill opinion will stick in the minds of those who have
given ear to slander. So extremely opposite is this practice unto
the queen of virtues, Charity. Its property indeed is to "believe
all things," that is, all things for the best, and to the advantage
of our neighbour; not so much as to suspect any evil of him without
unavoidably manifest cause; how much more not to devise any
falsehood against him! It "covereth" all things, studiously
conniving at real defects, and concealing assured miscarriages: how
much more not divulging imaginary or false scandals! It disposeth
to seek and further any the least good concerning him: how much
more will it hinder committing grievous outrage upon his dearest
good name!
Again, all injustice is abominable; to do any sort of wrong is a
heinous crime; that crime which of all most immediately tendeth to
the dissolution of society, and disturbance of human life; which God
therefore doth most loathe, and men have reason especially to
detest. And of this the slanderer is most deeply guilty. "A
witness of Belial scorneth judgment, and the mouth of the wicked
devoureth iniquity," saith the wise man. He is indeed, according to
just estimation, guilty of all kinds whatever of injury, breaking
all the second Table of Commands respecting our neighbour. Most
formally and directly he "beareth false witness against his
neighbour:" he doth "covet his neighbour's goods;" for 'tis
constantly out of such an irregular desire, for his own presumed
advantage, to dispossess his neighbour of some good, and transfer it
on himself, that the slanderer uttereth his tale: he is ever a
thief and robber of his good name, a deflowerer and defiler of his
reputation, an assassin and murderer of his honour. So doth he
violate all the rules of justice, and perpetrateth all sorts of
wrong against his neighbour.
He may, indeed, perhaps conceive it no great matter that he
committeth; because he doth not act in so boisterous and bloody a
way, but only by words, which are subtle, slim, and transient
things: upon his neighbour's credit only, which is no substantial
or visible matter. He draweth (thinks he), no blood, nor breaketh
any bones, nor impresseth any remarkable scar; 'tis only the soft
air he breaketh with his tongue, 'tis only a slight character that
he stampeth on the fancy, 'tis only an imaginary stain that he
daubeth his neighbour with; therefore he supposeth no great wrong
done, and seemeth to himself innocent, or very excusable. But these
conceits arise from great inconsiderateness, or mistake: nor can
they excuse the slanderer from grievous injustice. For in dealing
with our neighbour, and meddling with his property, we are not to
value things according to our fancy, but according to the price set
on them by the owner; we must not reckon that a trifle, which he
prizeth as a jewel. Since, then, all men (especially men of honour
and honesty) do, from a necessary instinct of nature, estimate their
good name beyond any of their goods--yea, do commonly hold it more
dear and precious than their very lives--we, by violently or
fraudulently bereaving them of it, do them no less wrong than if we
should rob or cozen them of their substance; yea, than if we should
maim their body, or spill their blood, or even stop their breath.
If they as grievously feel it, and resent it as deeply, as they do
any other outrage, the injury is really as great, to them. Even the
slanderer's own judgment and conscience might tell him so much; for
they who most slight another's fame, are usually very tender of
their own, and can with no patience endure that others should touch
it; which demonstrates the inconsiderateness of their judgment, and
the iniquity of their practice. It is an injustice not to be
corrected or cured. Thefts may be restored, wounds may be cured;
but there is no restitution or cure of a lost good name: it is
therefore an irreparable injury.
Nor is the thing itself, in true judgment, contemptible; but in
itself really very considerable. "A good name," saith Solomon
himself (no fool), "is rather to be chosen than great riches; and
loving favour rather than silver and gold." In its consequences it
is much more so; the chief interests of a man, the success of his
affairs, his ability to do good (for himself, his friends, his
neighbour), his safety, the best comforts and conveniences of his
life, sometimes his life itself, depending thereon; so that whoever
doth snatch or filch it from him, doth not only according to his
opinion, and in moral value, but in real effect commonly rob,
sometimes murder, ever exceedingly wrong his neighbour. It is often
the sole reward of a man's virtue and all the fruit of his industry;
so that by depriving him of that, he is robbed of all his estate,
and left stark naked of all, excepting a good conscience, which is
beyond the reach of the world, and which no malice or misfortune can
divest him of. Full then of iniquity, full of uncharitableness,
full of all wickedness is this practice; and consequently full it is
of folly. No man, one would think, of any tolerable sense, should
dare or deign to incur the guilt of a practice so vile and base, so
indeed diabolical and detestable. But further more particularly--
2. The slanderer is plainly a fool, because he maketh wrong
judgments and valuations of things, and accordingly driveth on silly
bargains for himself, in result whereof he proveth a great loser.
He means by his calumnious stories either to vent some passion
boiling in him, or to compass some design which he affects, or to
please some humour that he is possessed with: but is any of these
things worth purchasing at so dear a rate? can there be any valuable
exchange for our honesty? Is it not more advisable to suppress our
passion, or to let it evaporate otherwise, than to discharge it in
so foul a way? Is it not better to let go a petty interest, than to
further it by committing so notorious and heinous a sin; to let an
ambitious project sink, than to buoy it up by such base means? Is
it not wisdom rather to smother or curb our humour, than by
satisfying it thus to forfeit our innocence? Can anything in the
world be so considerable, that for its sake we should defile our
souls by so foul a practice, making shipwreck of a good conscience,
abandoning honour and honesty, incurring all the guilt and all the
punishment due to so enormous a crime? Is it not far more wisdom,
contentedly to see our neighbour to enjoy credit and success, to
flourish and thrive in the world, than by such base courses to sully
his reputation, to rifle him of his goods, to supplant or cross him
in his affairs? We do really, when we think thus to depress him,
and to climb up to wealth or credit by the ruins of his honour, but
debase ourselves. Whatever comes of it, whether he succeeds or is
disappointed therein, assuredly he that useth such courses will
himself be the greatest loser, and deepest sufferer. 'Tis true
which the wise man saith, "The getting of treasures by a lying
tongue, is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death."
And, "Woe unto them," saith the prophet, "that draw iniquity with
cords of vanity;" that is, who by falsehood endeavour to compass
unjust designs.
But it is not, perhaps he will pretend, to assuage a private
passion, or to promote his particular concernment, that he makes so
bold with his neighbour, or deals so harshly with him; but for the
sake of orthodox doctrine, for advantage of the true Church, for the
advancement of public good, he judgeth it expedient to asperse him.
This indeed is the covert of innumerable slanders: zeal for some
opinion, or some party, beareth out men of sectarian and factious
spirits in such practices; they may do, they may say anything for
those fine ends. What is a little truth, what is any man's
reputation in comparison to the carrying on such brave designs? But
(to omit that men do usually prevaricate in these cases; that it is
not commonly for love of truth, but of themselves; not so much for
the benefit of their sect, but for their own interest, that they
calumniate) this plea will nowise justify such practice. For truth
and sincerity, equity and candour, meekness and charity are
inviolably to be observed, not only towards dissenters in opinion,
but even towards declared enemies of truth itself; we are to bless
them (that is, to speak well of them, and to wish well to them), not
to curse them (that is, not to reproach them, or to wish them ill,
much less to belie them). Truth also, as it cannot ever need, so
doth it always loathe and scorn the patronage and the succour of
lies; it is able to support and protect itself by fair means; it
will not be killed upon a pretence of saving it, or thrive by its
own ruin. Nor indeed can any party be so much strengthened and
underpropped, as it will be weakened and undermined by such courses.
No cause can stand firm upon a bottom so loose and slippery as
falsehood is. All the good a slanderer can do is, to disparage what
he would maintain. In truth, no heresy can be worse than that would
be which should allow to play the devil in any case. He that can
dispense with himself to slander a Jew or a Turk, doth in so doing
render himself worse than either of them by profession is: for even
they, and even pagans themselves, disallow the practice of
inhumanity and iniquity. All men by light of nature avow truth to
be honourable, and faith to be indispensably observed. He doth not
understand what it is to be Christian, or careth not to practise
according thereto, who can find in his heart in any case, upon any
pretence, to calumniate. In fine, to prostitute our conscience, or
sacrifice our honesty, for any cause, to any interest whatever, can
never be warrantable or wise. Further--
3. The slanderer is a fool, because he useth improper means and
preposterous methods of effecting his purposes. As there is no
design worth the carrying on by ways of falsehood and iniquity, so
is there scarce any, no good or lawful one at least, which may not
more surely, more safely, more cleverly be achieved by means of
truth and justice. Is not always the straight way more short than
the oblique and crooked? is not the plain way more easy than the
rough and cragged? is not the fair way more pleasant and passable
than the foul? Is it not better to walk in paths that are open and
allowed, than in those that are shut up and prohibited, than to
clamber over walls, to break through fences, to trespass upon
enclosures? Surely yes: "He that walketh uprightly, walketh
surely." Using strict veracity and integrity, candour and equity,
is the best method of accomplishing good designs. Our own industry,
good use of the parts and faculties God hath given us, embracing
fair opportunities, God's blessing and providence, are sufficient
means to rely upon for procuring, in an honest way, whatever is
convenient for us. These are ways approved, and amiable to all men;
they procure the best friends, and fewest enemies; they afford to
the practises a cheerful courage, and good hope; they meet with less
disappointment, and have no regret or shame attending them. He that
hath recourse to the other base means, and "maketh lies his refuge,"
as he renounceth all just and honest means, as he disclaimeth all
hope in God's assistance, and forfeiteth all pretence to His
blessing: so he cannot reasonably expect good success, or be
satisfied in any undertaking. The supplanting way indeed seems the
most curt and compendious way of bringing about dishonest or
dishonourable designs: but as good design is certainly dishonoured
thereby, so is it apt thence to be defeated; it raises up enemies
and obstacles, yielding advantages to whoever is disposed to cross
us. As in trade it is notorious that the best course to thrive is
by dealing squarely and truly; any fraud or cozenage appearing there
doth overthrow a man's credit, and drive away custom from him: so
in all other transactions, as he that dealeth justly and fairly will
have his affairs proceed roundly, and shall find men ready to comply
with him, so he that is observed to practise falsehood will be
declined by some, opposed by others, disliked by all: no man scarce
willingly will have to do with him; he is commonly forced to stand
out in business, as one that plays foul play.
4. Lastly, the slanderer is a very fool, as bringing many great
inconveniences, troubles, and mischiefs on himself.
First, "A fool's mouth," saith the wise man, "is his destruction,
his lips are the snare of his soul:" and if any kind of speech is
destructive and dangerous, then is this certainly most of all; for
by no means can a man inflame so fierce anger, impress so stiff
hatred, raise so deadly enmity against himself, and consequently so
endanger his safety, ease and welfare, as by this practice. Men can
more easily endure, and sooner will forgive, any sort of abuse than
this; they will rather pardon a robber of their goods, than a
defamer of their good name.
Secondly, such an one indeed is not only odious to the person
immediately concerned, but generally to all men that observe his
practice; every man presently will be sensible how easily it may be
his own case, how liable he may be to be thus abused, in a way
against which there is no guard or defence. The slanderer therefore
is apprehended a common enemy, dangerous to all men; and thence
rendereth all men averse from him, and ready to cross him. Love and
peace, tranquillity and security can only be maintained by innocent
and true dealing: so the psalmist hath well taught us: "What man
is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see
good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile."
Thirdly, all wise, all noble, all ingenuous and honest persons have
an aversion from this practice, and cannot entertain it with any
acceptance or complacence. "A righteous man hateth lying," saith
the wise man. It is only ill-natured and ill-nurtured, unworthy and
naughty people that are willing auditors or encouragers thereof. "A
wicked doer," saith the wise man again, "giveth heed to false lips;
and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue." All love of truth and
regard to justice, and sense of humanity, all generosity and
ingenuity, all charity and good-will to men, must be extinct in
those who can with delight, or indeed with patience, lend an ear or
give any countenance to a slanderer: and is not he a very fool who
chooseth to displease the best, only soothing the worst of men?
Fourthly, the slanderer indeed doth banish himself from all
conversation and company, or intruding into it becomes very
disgustful thereto; for he worthily is not only looked upon as an
enemy to those whom he slandereth, but to those also upon whom he
obtrudeth his calumnious discourse. He not only wrongeth the former
by the injury, but he mocketh the latter by the falsehood of his
stories; implicitly charging his hearers with weakness and
credulity, or with injustice and pravity.
Fifthly, he also derogateth wholly from his own credit in all
matters of discourse. For he that dareth thus to injure his
neighbour, who can trust him in anything he speaks? what will not he
say to please his vile humour, or further his base interest? what,
thinks any man, will he scruple or boggle at, who hath the heart in
thus doing wrong and mischief to imitate the devil? Further--
Sixthly, this practice is perpetually haunted with most troublesome
companions, inward regret and self-condemnation, fear and disquiet:
the conscience of dealing so unworthily doth smite and rack him; he
is ever in danger, and thence in fear to be discovered, and requited
for it. Of these passions the manner of his behaviour is a manifest
indication: for men do seldom vent their slanderous reports openly
and loudly, to the face or in the ear of those who are concerned in
them; but do utter them in a low voice, in dark corners, out of
sight and hearing, where they conceit themselves at present safe
from being called to an account. "Swords," saith the psalmist of
such persons, "are in their lips: Who (say they) doth hear?" And,
"Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off," saith
David again, intimating the common manner of this practice. Calumny
is like "the plague, that walketh in darkness." Hence appositely
are the practisers thereof termed whisperers and backbiters: their
heart suffers them not openly to avow, their conscience tells them
they cannot fairly defend their practice. Again--
Seventhly, the consequence of this practice is commonly shameful
disgrace, with an obligation to retract and render satisfaction:
for seldom doth calumny pass long without being detected and
confuted. "He that walketh uprightly, walketh surely: but he that
perverteth his ways shall be known:" and, "The lip of truth shall be
established for ever; but a lying lip is but for a moment," saith
the great observer of things. And when the slander is disclosed,
the slanderer is obliged to excuse (that is, to palliate one lie
with another, if he can do it), or forced to recant, with much
disgrace and extreme displeasure to himself: he is also many times
constrained, with his loss and pain, to repair the mischief he hath
done.
Eighthly, to this in likelihood the concernments of men, and the
powers which guard justice, will forcibly bring him; and certainly
his conscience will bind him thereto; God will indispensably exact
it from him. He can never have any sound quiet in his mind, he can
never expect pardon from Heaven, without acknowledging his fault,
repairing the wrong he hath done, restoring that good name of which
he dispossessed his neighbour: for in this no less than in other
cases conscience cannot be satisfied, remission will not be granted,
except due restitution be performed; and of all restitutions this
surely is the most difficult, most laborious, and most troublesome.
'Tis nowise so hard to restore goods stolen or extorted, as to
recover a good opinion lost, to wipe off aspersions cast on a man's
name, to cure a wounded reputation: the most earnest and diligent
endeavour can hardly ever effect this, or spread the plaster so far
as the sore hath reached. The slanderer therefore doth engage
himself into great straits, incurring an obligation to repair an
almost irreparable mischief.
Ninthly, this practice doth also certainly revenge itself, imposing
on its actor a perfect retaliation; "a tooth for a tooth;" an
irrecoverable infamy to himself, for the infamy he causeth to
others. Who will regard his fame, who will be concerned to excuse
his faults, who so outrageously abuseth the reputation of others?
He suffereth justly, he is paid in his own coin, will any man think,
who doth hear him reproached.
Tenthly, in fine, the slanderer, if he doth not, by serious and sore
repentance retract his practice, doth banish himself from heaven and
happiness, doth expose himself to endless miseries and sorrows.
For, if none that "maketh a lie shall enter into the heavenly city;"
if without those mansions of joy and bliss "every one" must
eternally abide "that loveth or maketh a lie;" if [Greek], "to all
liars their portion" is assigned "in the lake which burneth with
fire and brimstone;" then assuredly the capital liar, the slanderer,
who lieth most injuriously and mischievously, shall be far excluded
from felicity, and thrust down into the depth of that miserable
place. If, as St. Paul saith, no "railer," or evil-speaker, "shall
inherit the kingdom of God," how far thence shall they be removed
who without any truth or justice do speak ill of and reproach their
neighbour? If for every [Greek], "idle," or vain, "word" we must
"render a" strict "account," how much more shall we be severely
reckoned with for this sort of words, so empty of truth and void of
equity: words that are not only negatively vain, or useless, but
positively vain, as false and spoken to bad purpose? If slander
perhaps here may evade detection, or escape deserved punishment, yet
infallibly hereafter, at the dreadful day, it shall be disclosed,
irreversibly condemned, inevitably persecuted with condign reward of
utter shame and sorrow.
Is not he then, he who, out of malignity, or vanity, to serve any
design, or soothe any humour in himself or others, doth by
committing this sin involve himself in all these great evils, both
here and hereafter, a most desperate and deplorable fool?
Having thus described the nature of this sin, and declared the folly
thereof, we need, I suppose, to say no more for dissuading it;
especially to persons of a generous and honest mind, who cannot but
scorn to debase and defile themselves by so mean and vile a
practice; or to those who seriously do profess Christianity, that
is, the religion which peculiarly above all others prescribeth
constant truth, strictest justice, and highest charity.
I shall only add, that since our faculty of speech (wherein we do
excel all other creatures) was given us, as in the first place to
praise and glorify our Maker, so in the next to benefit and help our
neighbour; as an instrument of mutual succour and delectation, of
friendly commerce and pleasant converse together; for instructing
and advising, comforting and cheering one another: it is an
unnatural perverting, and an irrational abuse thereof, to employ it
to the damage, disgrace, vexation, or wrong in any kind of our
brother. Better indeed had we been as brutes without its use, than
we are, if so worse than brutishly we abuse it.
Finally, all these things being considered, we may, I think,
reasonably conclude it most evidently true that "He which uttereth
slander is a fool."