Page:Sermons on the Ten Commandments.djvu/144

 revenge, envy, rivalship, &c.; for these evils conceal within them the testifying of what is false." Thus extensive is the range of this Commandment in the natural sense alone: it forbids falsehood of every kind, in all its myriad shapes and forms. Let us consider some of the various kinds of false witness, presented in the above extract, and examine them more minutely; so that, knowing them well, we may, when we meet with them in the daily walks of life, at once detect them both in ourselves and others, and shun them as sins against God; for so only can they be removed and cast out from our own hearts, in the first place, and then, so far as our influence extends, from society at large. For, there is, perhaps, no evil, that directly causes more bitterness and hard and bad feeling in society, than that which is forbidden by this Commandment.

The first and most manifest form, which this evil assumes, is that of bearing false witness, or testifying falsely, in a court of justice. This is so obvious and so gross a sin, that no man, who makes any pretensions to an honorable character, would be guilty of it; and it is moreover punishable by the law of the land. Little therefore needs to be said, on this point, by way of explanation or comment; yet one important remark may be made in connection with it. Men of the world often shun the commission of certain crimes, merely because they fear the punishment of the law, or the loss of wealth, or reputation and standing in society; while, at the same time, were those fears removed, they would not hesitate to commit them. Such