their faithfulness to vows or engagements of any kind. But this may be
reserved to the next discourse.
HYMN FOR SERMONS XX AND XXI.
_Christian Morality_, _viz._ _Truth, Sincerity, &c._
Let those who bear the christian name
Their holy vows fulfil:
The saints, the followers of the Lamb,
Are men of honour still.
True to the solemn oaths they take,
Though to their hurt they swear;
Constant and just to all they speak,
For God and angels hear.
Still with their lips their hearts agree,
Nor flattering words devise;
They know the God of truth can see
Through every false disguise.
They hate th’ appearance of a lie,
In all the shapes it wears;
Firm to the truth: and when they die,
Eternal life is theirs.
Lo! from afar the Lord descends,
And brings the judgment down;
He bids his saints, his faithful friends,
Rise and possess their crown.
While Satan trembles at the sight,
And devils wish to die,
Where will the faithless hypocrite,
And guilty liar fly?
SERMON XXII.
_Christian Morality_, _viz._ _Truth, Sincerity, &c._
PHILIP. iv. 8.—Whatsoever things are true,——think on these things.
When we are ever so well informed in the nature of our duty, we still
want arguments to make our consciences feel the obligation. Flesh and
blood are frail and sinful; grace is feeble and imperfect in the present
state; temptations surround us in this lower world, and are ever ready
to allure or affright us from the paths of holiness: we have need
therefore of powerful motives to enforce every duty upon our practice.
In the first discourse on this subject, we have heard the nature and
extent of that truth or sincerity which the gospel requires. In the
second we have considered what obligations are discovered by the light
of nature to be faithful, upright and constant in our words and our
ways; and what additional motives the religion of Christ has furnished
us with, to practise the same virtues; and may the good spirit of God
make our souls feel the power of them! But nature is dark, as well as
feeble. We are unskilful in the matters of holiness, and know not how to
secure our virtue, and to guard ourselves from temptation to the
contrary vice, unless we are informed by particular directions. I begun
this work at the end of the last discourse. And as truth was divided
into three parts, _viz._ veracity, faithfulness, and constancy; so I
proposed to give special rules for the preservation of each of them.
The directions to preserve our veracity, were these:
1. Be well persuaded in your minds, that a known and wilful lie is
utterly unlawful: Let your heart be established in this doctrine; for a
slight conviction may be easily overcome by some advantageous
circumstances, and the temptation will soon prevail.—2. Be sober,
modest, and cautious in the manner of your speech, and do not allow
yourself in those ways of expression which border upon lying; for if you
often accustom your tongue to venture near a lie, you will be in danger
sometimes of falling into it.—3. Take care to do nothing that you need
to be ashamed of, that so you may not be under the temptation of a lie
to cover or excuse it.—4. Watch against the violence of any passion; for
this will sorely endanger the veracity of your lips. Passion will carry
your judgment beyond the truth of things, and then it will soon awaken
your tongue to an extravagance of language, even beyond the present
irregular judgment of the mind.
I persuaded you there to beware of blind and fiery zeal, and more
especially in matters of small importance, lest you should be tempted to
tell lies for a pretended defence of the truth. The pious frauds, as
they are called, or the religious cheats that have been practised in
christendom in all ages, have brought much dishonour to the gospel of
Christ.
The second part of truth is faithfulness, to our vows, promises, and
solemn resolutions. This is a conformity of our deeds to our words, as
the former was a conformity of our words to our thoughts. And I come now
to lay down some rules how we may secure our faithfulness, and maintain
our conscience and conversation free from guilt or blame in this respect
also.
I. Be very cautious in all the promises, vows and obligations, under
which you lay yourself. Use a pious prudence in this matter, and it will
be more easy to you to perform them. Do not multiply needless bonds upon
your souls. The more care you take before you utter any thing with your
lips, you will be more secure of fulfilling what your lips pronounce. In
the case of vows, there is no inconvenience of solemn engagements to God
to do what his law hath made your duty before. And this was the custom
of the primitive christians, as Pliny, a heathen, acquaints us, that
they made vows, and swore in their secret meetings, not to commit
murder, or theft, or adultery, or indulge vicious courses. It is good to
remind ourselves of what God requires, and establish all our obligations
to the general practice of holiness.
But you had need be well advised before you make vows in matters that
are indifferent; for many times this has exposed persons to greater
snares and difficulties. They have hoped to restrain the violence of
natural appetites by means of their own devising; and thus they have
been tempted to be unfaithful to God himself. The word of God gives us
this advice; Ec. v. 5, 6. _Better it is that thou shouldst not vow, than
that thou shouldst vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy
flesh to sin, neither say thou before the angel, it was an error.
Wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the works of
thine own hands?_ That is, “Do not hastily engage thyself in vows, such
as the weakness of flesh and blood will not suffer thee to perform: Nor
think of being absolved from thy own obligations in the presence of God,
and his holy angels, by foolish excuses, and saying, It was a mistake;
lest God, being angry and offended at thy broken vows, should bring a
curse upon thee and thy affairs.” There is most abundant experience of
the folly and danger of needless vows in the church of Rome.
In the case of promises made to others, and public solemn resolutions,
be not too frequent in making of them. See that the reason of things,
the providence of God, and the circumstances of life, seem to call you
to it before you engage, that so you may better maintain your
faithfulness, and turn your words into deeds. Why should you make chains
to bind yourself, without necessity or reason? Why should you promise to
do this, or to go thither in a thoughtless or trifling way, and let your
tongue put needless bonds and fetters on your hands and feet for time to
come? _My son, if thou art surety for a stranger_, or if thou make a
bargain without discretion, or multiply promises without prudence, _thou
art snared with the words of thy mouth_.
There are some persons who are very free of their promises upon all
occasions; and often indulge this manner of speaking, “I am resolved to
do such a thing to-day, or I will certainly go to such a place
to-morrow,” &c. Whereas sometimes they find the thing impracticable,
sometimes it is inconsistent with their other duties of life, sometimes
it lays them under great difficulties and inconveniences to fulfil such
appointments, and often they forget them too, and so disappoint their
friends.
Before you tie yourselves by your solemn resolves and engagements, ask
your hearts, Is it possible to be done, Is it lawful? Is it convenient?
Is it proper? Is it consistent with other promises? Is the thing which I
would promise due to my neighbour upon principles of honour, virtue,
gratitude, religion? Is it necessary at all, and is it necessary at this
time? Methinks I would have no promise made, but what should be kept;
and therefore I would set all these guards around my lips. Experience of
human affairs will teach us the use of these prudential rules, if we
cannot learn them without it. A watchful caution in all such sort of
language, as lays us under any engagements to future practices, is of
necessary use to secure our faithfulness, and to maintain our truth with
honour.
Besides, I might add also, that we should bring in something of God and
piety into the common engagements of life; and this would preserve a
greater guard upon our tongues, _Go to now, ye that say, to-day or
to-morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and
buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the
morrow;—for that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and
do this, or that_; James iv. 13, &c.
If therefore we would secure our faithfulness as well as our veracity,
it is necessary to learn a modest and cautious way of speaking and
accustom our tongues to practise it. When we are relating any thing past
or present, the words, I think, I suppose, it is my opinion, are very
proper where the case has any thing doubtful in it: So when we engage
ourselves to do any thing for time to come, I intend, I design, I hope,
I will endeavour, are more cautious methods of speech, and very proper
upon most occasions of life, except where the circumstances require a
more express promise, whereby we bind all our faithfulness to the
performance.
II. I would add another rule in the case of vows and promises, which
cannot but have some force toward the preservation of truth. Think
solemnly with yourself, how miserable and abandoned a creature you must
be, if neither God nor man should fulfil any of their promises or
engagements to you, and thereby you should awaken your soul and all your
powers to perform your obligations to them. What if your governors
should break their engagements to defend and protect you? What if your
parents and your friends should refuse to help and assist, to feed, or
clothe, or comfort you? What if your debtors should refuse to pay what
they owe you? and your servants deny you their obedience and help in a
most necessary hour? What if your neighbours should disappoint you in
all the agreements and promises they make? What if the great and blessed
God should seize all your forfeited mercies, because of your
unfaithfulness to him, and perform none of the promises of his word
which regard this life, or the life to come? What a load of calamities
would at once come upon you, and overwhelm you in soul and body! You
would fall under universal distress and wretchedness in this world, and
have no hope for eternity; and yet if you are careless to fulfil your
covenants, or wilfully break your engagements, why should you expect
that God should fulfil any on his side? Or why should his kind
providence incline any creature to fulfil any on their side?
“O blessed and holy God, how false have we been to thee! How fickle! How
unfaithful! How often have we broken the solemn engagements under which
we have laid ourselves to thy majesty! Our comforts are all forfeited
into thy hands, and yet we have food and clothing given us; the mercies
of the night and the day are continued to us; thy compassions are
renewed every morning, and in the evening thy faithfulness is glorified.
We are ready to charge our fellow-creatures with unfaithfulness, and
reproach their breach of promise, when we ourselves perhaps have been
the unfaithful dealers, and have broken all those engagements and bonds
of kindness or duty which are the foundation of their promises. We
seldom or never think of our own unfaithfulness to them or to thee, but
delight ourselves in accusations, while thou delightest in forgiveness.
O how often hast thou pardoned our broken vows, and hast been slow to
anger! But we though we are wretchedly unfaithful ourselves, yet are
slow and backward to forgive. We have been guilty of many failures in
thy covenant, and our everlasting hopes had been utterly lost, if thy
covenant had not stood firmer on thy side than it has on ours. Blessed
be the name of Jesus, our glorious Surety, our Advocate at thy
right-hand, to whom thy promises were first given! He has fulfilled all
his sacred engagements: Thy faithfulness to him can never fail: in him
are all our hopes established; by his grace we are kept from an utter
renouncing of thy covenant, though we have so often wretchedly failed in
the performance of it. Glory, honour, and praise be given to a faithful
God, to a kind and faithful Mediator.”
I come now to propose a rule or two for the preservation of our
constancy, which is the third part of truth or integrity; and to give
some directions how we may keep the whole course of our life consistent
with itself, and agreeable to our profession.
I. Fix your great and general end, your chief and everlasting design,
and keep it ever in your eye: then you will certainly be more regular
and uniform in all your particular practices. Set your face towards
heaven betimes. Let it be the most solemn and unalterable business of
your lives to please God on earth, in order to enjoy him in heaven, and
then you will not be easily tempted aside by the flatteries or the
terrors of this world, to go astray and wander in the paths that lead to
hell. Give yourselves up to Christ both in secret and in public. Devote
yourselves to him, to his fear, and love, and service, in your private
retirements, and solemnize your obligations to him among the churches of
his saints. See that you are an inward christian, and declare to the
world, that you are a follower of Christ. Mix with the sheep of his
flock, and you will find many advantages thereby to secure your truth
and constancy. When a temptation comes to make you act like the sinners
of this world, tell the world, and tell your own heart, that you are a
christian, and you must pursue heaven.
II. Get above the fear of the world, and the shame of professing strict
godliness. It is sinful shame, or sinful fear, that has a thousand times
tempted the professors of the name of Christ, to be false to their
profession, to act unbecoming their character, and inconsistent with
christianity. It is from a certain feebleness and cowardice of soul that
they desire, at any cost, to keep well with all men, and are afraid,
sorely afraid, to be out of the fashion, or unconformable to this world:
therefore they venture upon some practice in company, that their hearts
would abhor, if they were alone: Therefore they indulge many sinful
compliances; sometimes they countenance the lewd and the profane, they
join in a jest upon things sacred, they make the ministers of Christ
their objects of ridicule; and sometimes they fall into sensuality,
luxury, and excess, because they must do as their company does, and have
not courage enough to refuse.
If we would be true to Christ, we must live above the world, and be dead
to all its threatenings and reproaches. If we are afraid of being
thought truly religious, we shall not be able to maintain religion in
the truth of it. There needs a sacred courage to be constant in the
faith. We must learn to _endure hardship as good soldiers of Christ_, if
we would be true to the _Captain of our salvation_. All that belong to
his army are _chosen_ and _faithful_; Rev. xvii. 14. It is a coward that
changes his side as oft as the enemy makes a flourish, and he lists
himself under every banner: But the constant christian is a soldier
_faithful to the death, and he shall receive the crown of life_; Rev.
ii. 10.
III. Never venture into the world without having solemnly committed
yourself to the grace of Christ. Trust your soul afresh in the hands of
Jesus every morning, that he may keep you true to himself all the day.
All the divine motives you have learned, and all the solemn engagements
under which you lay your own souls, will prove but a weak defence to
virtue without faith and prayer. Commit yourselves to him who is able to
keep you from falling, and to present you faultless. Your hearts, your
lips, and your lives must be in his keeping, if you would have them true
to God or man. Your adversary the devil is watchful and busy with all
his wiles to tempt you to falsehood and inconstancy; none but he who has
conquered the devil can be your sufficient guardian. And when and
wheresoever we find frailty and folly in ourselves, O may the strength
of Christ appear in our weakness, and be glorified in our preservation!
Thus I have finished all that I proposed concerning the first duty
recommended in my text, Whatsoever things are true—think on these
things.
There may be perhaps some other instances wherein this divine character
of truth, uprightness, or integrity, ought to appear in the conduct of
christians which do not so directly and immediately fall under the
general heads which I have before named: But they may be easily reduced
to one or another of them. There are various other methods of deceit and
falsehood practised in the world, which break in upon this sacred
character of truth, which I have not expressly mentioned before; such as
subscribing with the hand to testify our assent to opinions, which we do
not believe; counterfeiting the names or writings of other persons
without their knowledge, consent, or approbation; adding or blotting out
any thing from divine writings; or doing the same to the writings or men
in civil affairs or contracts, whereby one party or another may receive
damage; practising fraud or deceit, or any criminal concealment in
matters of traffic, or in matters of trust; and, in general, forgery and
knavery of all kinds whatsoever: some of these may, by natural and easy
consequences, be reduced to the heads I have spoken of, and are
effectually precluded by the large description of moral truth, which I
have given: Others of them fall as naturally under the general head of
justice and injustice, which will be the subject of one of the following
discourses.
AN APPENDIX
_To the three foregoing Sermons, wherein two important Questions about_
TRUTH _and_ LYING, _are debated at large_.
Question I. If I have a good and valuable end in speaking, and my design
is to serve the glory of God, or the good of my neighbour, may I not
then use the art of lying, or speak a known falsehood, without sin? Did
not Rahab the harlot practise this; Josh. ii. 4, 5. when she hid the
spies of Israel, and told the messengers of the king of Jericho, that
she knew not whence they came, nor whither they went? And yet she is
commended by the apostle Paul; Heb. xi. 31. That _by faith the harlot
Rahab perished not with unbelievers, when she received the spies in
peace_.
Answer I. When any action, considered in itself, is utterly unlawful, it
is not possible that the goodness of the end or design, can so change
the law of God, or alter the nature of things, as to make that action
lawful. The apostle Paul brings the same objection; Rom. iii. 7. _If the
truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory, why am I
judged as a sinner?_ But in the next verse, he speaks of it with
indignation, as a heinous slander cast upon him, that he should maintain
this pernicious doctrine, _Let us do evil that good may come_: And he
adds concerning these slanderers, or concerning those who hold this
doctrine of doing evil with a good design, that _their damnation is
just_; ver. 8.
Answer II. The case of Rahab is easily adjusted in this manner, without
allowing a lie to be lawful: Rahab, though she was a woman of evil fame
in Jericho, yet had heard of the promise of God to Israel, to establish
them in the land of Canaan; she believed this promise, and under the
influence of this faith she entertained the spies, and thereby assisted
the Israelites in the conquest of that city; so far her action is
approved of God, and mentioned with honour: But she used a very sinful
method in compassing this design, when she told a plain lie to the
messengers of the king. The timorousness of her temper was a sore
temptation to her; and though she fell into a criminal action, yet God
so far excused the ill conduct, as to forgive the falsehood, and thereby
put a more signal honour upon the eminence of her faith. Her name stands
therefore recorded with honour in scripture among believers. But the
lie, though it was pardoned, remains still a blemish to her character.
There may be also a reason given why the scripture does not particularly
make any sharp remark upon this falsehood of Rahab: for the great degree
of her ignorance does much lessen her fault, though not cancel it. A
woman of her character, living in a heathen country, may well be
supposed to have had little knowledge of the sinfulness of so beneficial
a lie as that was, and no scruple about it.
But it is by no means a sufficient justification of her conduct, that
the scripture does not directly censure her for lying; for there are
many actions recorded in scripture, both of saints and sinners, which
are utterly unlawful in the sight of God, which yet have not an express
censure passed upon them. Rahab’s being an harlot is not censured in any
part of her history; nor Judah’s defiling Tamar his daughter-in-law; nor
Jacob and Rebecca’s complication of lies to gain the blessing; nor the
most express and wicked lie of the old prophet in Bethel, though it was
the cause of the death of another prophet; 1 Kings xiii. yet surely
these were crimes of heinous guilt. The plain commands or prohibitions
of scripture are the rules to govern our practice: Nor can we fetch the
lawfulness or unlawfulness of any matter of fact from the mere silence
of the historical part of scripture about it.
Question II. If there are some persons who have not a right to truth,
may we not lawfully speak falsehood to them? Now to prove that some have
not a right to truth, it is urged, that truth or veracity is a virtue or
duty of the social life: But there are many questions may be asked in
the social life which the speaker has no right to be informed of, and
therefore he has no right to truth when they are answered; may we not
then answer them with falsehood? There are also some characters of
persons who seem to have no part in the social life, as children who are
not capable of judging for themselves, nor acting regularly in society;
may we not speak a falsehood to them for their good? There are some who
practise no social virtue, such as knaves and cheats, thieves, and
pilferers; surely these have no right to truth, who are ever dealing in
falsehood; and may we not cozen them who would cozen us? I will first
offer two or three general answers to the question, and then descend to
consider the particular instances.
Answer I. Truth seems to be a matter of eternal right and unchangeable
equity. And there are general and express commands given us in scripture
to speak the truth, and there are as express prohibitions of falsehood
and lies. Now if there were any such exceptions as these against the
general rule, I think God would have given us some plainer evidence of
these exceptions in so important a point as truth is, upon which the
welfare of mankind so necessarily depends: But I cannot find any such
evident exceptions given in the whole word of God.
Answer II. When we say a person has no right to truth, it may signify
one of these two things:
1. That he has no right to demand of me a direct answer to his enquiry:
And I will readily grant it in this sense, there are thousands who have
no right to the truth; and therefore I may wave the question, I may give
them an insufficient answer, or I may be silent, and boldly refuse to
give them any answer at all. But 2, If his having no right to truth, be
intended to signify, that the character of his person, or the nature of
his question, is such as releases me from all obligation to truth in
answering him, and that therefore I may lawfully tell him a falsehood;
then I deny the propositions: For my obligation to speak truth doth not
all depend on the nature of his question, nor doth it depend merely on
the character of the enquirer, but on the eternal rule of equity, and
the command of God. And I think this appears from hence, that though I
were alone, it would not be warrantable in me to assert with my lips a
known falsehood: and in this case the right or claim of man can have no
place nor consideration.