What Is Forbidden in the Ninth Commandment?

Answ. The ninth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever is prejudicial to truth, or injurious to our own or our neighbour’s good name.

Q. What is more generally required in the ninth com* mand? A. The maintaining and promoting of truth

between man and man, Zech. viii. 16, — 19.

Q. What truth is to be maintained and promoted?

A. Truth in matters of doctrine and fact, Col. iii. 9.

Q. What do you understand by maintaining of truth?

A. Our standing to, and abiding constantly by it.

Q. What do you understand by promoting of truth?

A- Our studying to make it duly known and believed.

Q. How should we thus maintain and promote truth?

A. By constant study to be as good as we appear*, to speak as we think, and as things really are, and when we shouid speak of them. 2 Chron.xix. 9.

Q/What is more especially required in the ninth command? A. Our maintaining and promoting our own and our neighbour’s good name, Rom. i. 8.

Q. Why ought a good name to be carefully maintained and promoted? A. It is more precious than great riches j and renders men very useful for promoting the glory of God, and good of mankind, Prov. xxii. 1.

Qj Whose good name are we to maintain and promote?

A. Our own and our neighbour’s good name.

Q. How ought we to maintain and promote our own good name? A. By deserving and defending it.

Q. Can we deserve a good name before God?

A. No; in his sight all our righteousness is as filthy rags% Isa. lxiv. 6.

Q. How may Ave deserve a good name from men?

A. By living meekly, peaceably, soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, Mat. v. 17. Tit. ii. 12.

Qj How are we to defend our own good name?

A. By vindicating it against reproaches and false accusations f, and by modest commendation of ourselves only when there is need, in such a manner, as all the praise may redound to God’s free grace, 2 Cor. x, xi, and xii.

Qj Who ought to maintain and promote their own good name? A. All men, especially ministers, magistraies, and professors, Luke i. 6. 2 Sam. xxiii. 4.

Qj Why ought ministers, magistrates, and professors

especially to maintain and promote their own good name?

A. Because the blemishes in their character principally

tend to the blasphemy of God’s name, and do harden

others in their sin, 2 Sam. xii. 14.

Q. In respect of whom are we to maintain and promote our neighbour’s good name? A. In respect of ourselves and others, Rom. xii. 10. 1 Sam. xxiv. 15.

Q* How are we to maintain and promote our neighbour’s good nam — in respect of ourselves? A. By considering that which is good in them with esteem, delight, and thankfulness; by ready receiving good reports concerning them ‘, by contemning and discouraging bad reports, tale-bearers, and whisperers j and by grief for, reproof of, and endeavouring to reclaim them from their real faults.

(^. How are we to maintain and promote our neighbour’s good name in respect of others? A. By commending and vindicating them behind their back; by concealing their infirmities-, and by reproving them before others only when there is need, and in such a way as doth not darken their real excellencies, 1 Sam. xxii.

Q. When may we lawfully report our neighbour’s faults to others? A. When others are in danger of

being ensnared by not knowing themy when private admonition cannot reclaim them j when public shame is their’ proper punishment; or when our hiding of their faults would hurt the reputation of the innocent, Phil. iii. 2.

Q. Wherein is truth, and our own and our neighbour’s good name, to be especially maintained and promoted?

A. In witness-bearing; for what is said in witness-bearing, is a most solemn appeal to God, and most firmly establishes, or more deeply wounds truth, and our own and our neighbour’s good name, Prov. xiv. I Sam. xxii.

Q. What is more generally forbidden in the ninth com nandment .? A. All injuring of truth, C.n1. iii. 9.

Q. Whereby do we injure truth? A. By simple

falsehood, wilful lying, equivocation, mental reservation, forgery, and hypocrisy or dissimulation.

Q. What call you simple falsehood ‘/ A. Our

representing any doctrine or fact according to our conception of it, but otherwise than it really is, and in terms tending to lead others into a mistake, Job. x.xi 34.

Q. Is all use of terms seemingly representing things o» ther vise than they are, sinful I A. No •, it is no sin

to use figures, metaphors, ironic, and Wperboles, if their signification is so well known or fixed by custom, as to leave no proper danger of mistake, Eccl. xi. 9,

Quest. 78. in the ninth Commmulment. 273

Q. VJ2.t figures are used in scripture? A. The

whole is put for a part, and a part for the whole, &.C.

Q. What is a metaphor and allegory? A. The representation of spiritual things by the names of natural j as when Christ is called a lily rose, sun, and shield, &.C.

Q. What is irony? A. The using terms which

seem to commend things with such an air as that they severely reprove them, Eccl. xi. 9. 1 Kings xviii, xxii.

Qj What is an hyperbole?

A. The expressing things as if much greater or less than they are; as when the cities of Canaan are said to be walled up to heaven, which, according to the eastern idiom of language, signified no more than their great height.

Q. What is wilful lying? A. Our maintaining

as a truth that which we doubt of, or know to be false.

Q. How are we guilty of lying? A. By neglecting to speak the truth when called to it, or reproving sin, or bearing witness to facts; by asserting or denying things more strongly than our information will bear; by making promises without a sincere design, and probable views of performance, or breaking them without weighty reasons 5 and by relating known falsehoods.

Qj How may lies, in relating known falsehoods, be distinguished? A. Into jocose lies, made to raise wonder and sport; officious lies, made to gain some carnal advantage, or prevent some hurt; pernicious lies, springing from malice, and tending to hurt our neighbour’s soulj character, or estate; and lies of mere compliment, at meet. ing of friends, table, &c. to please men, and display our imaginary breeding.

Q. What is equivocation? A. Our using expressions of a double signification in a true sense, in order to make others understand them in a false one.

Qj What is mental reservation?

A. Our concealing in our minds some things necessary to be added to what we express, to make our speech agree with our thoughts,

Q. Must we always relate the whole history of a fact, if we relate a part of it?

A. No but we ought always to relate as much of it, as renders what we say strict truth, and as much as tends to excuse our neighbour’s deeds,

Q. What is forgery 2 A. Our making and passing of money, writs, speeches, ckc. under false names.

Q. Wherein doth hypocrisy consist?

A. Sometimes in pretending to be worse than we are J but especially in pretending to be better than we are.

Q. How may this last and common kind of hypocrisy be distinguished? A. Into hypocrisy respecting our

state, and hypocrisy only respecting our exercise.

Q. What is hypocrisy respecting our state §

A. Our habitual pretension and appearance to be saints, when we are not; which constitutes us proper hypocrites.

Qj. Do hypocrites ever think themselves true saints?

A. Yes j perhaps they ordinarily do so, Matth. vii.

£). What appearances of saintship may hypocrites have?

A. The gifts of prayer and knowledge, the common convictions and comforts of the Holy Ghost, and an outwardly zealous and tender practice, Isa. lviii. 2. Heb. vi.

Q. What are the marks of an hypocrite?

A. The habitual performance of religious duties to be seen of men; greater zeal against sin in others than in ourselves with a partial concern to observe only some, not all the commands of God, Matth. xxiii. 4, — 33.

Q. What is hypocrisy respecting our exercise only $

A. That by which saints, or profane persons, sometimes do good to be seen of men, and esteemed belter than they are •, and by which saints are often more careful of the outward than inward part of religious duties.

Q. Why may not saints, and profane persons, be called hypocrites from this their hypocritical exercise?

A. Because saints habitually disallow their hypocrisy *? nor doth it represent them in another state than they really are *, and the hypocrisy of the profane is so scanty, that it doth not make them appear saints, Rom. vii. 14, — 24.

Q. Wherein doth the evil of falsehood, lying, and dissimulation, appear?

A. They are the offsprinfr of Satan, an abomination to God, break the bonds of society, and expose men to eternal wrath, John viii 44. Prov. vi. 19*

Q, What is more especially forbidden in the ninth commandment? A. Whatsoever is injurious to our own or our neighbour’s good name, Psalm xv.

Q. How do we injure our own and our neighbour’s good name? A. By defiling and slandering it j and by flattery* p. In what doth flattery consist? A. In unnecessary and false commendation of men to their knowledge.

Q. Wherein lieth the evil of flattery A. It is the

occasion of lies, and slander of others; it hinders self-examination, and inflames our pride, &c. Prov. xxix. 5.

Q. How do we defile and stain our own good name?

A. By openly committing any thing imprudent or wicked, which may be a blot to our reputation, Eccl. x. 1.

Q. How do we defile our neighbour’s good name?

‘A. By tempting them to commit such imprudent or wicked things as blot their reputation, 1 Kings xiii.

Q^. What is slander or defamation? A. Our unjust

charging of ourselves or others with that which is bad.

Q. How many ways are men guilty of slander?

A. In thoughts, and deeds, but most formally in words.

Q. Whom do men slander in thought, word, and deed?

A. Either themselves or their neighbours.

<^. How do we defame ourselves in our thoughts f

A. By judging Gur selves hypocrites when we are saints j ‘•©r judging ourselves otherwise guilty of sin than we are.

Qj, How do we particularly slander ourselves in our deeds?

A. When we acquiesce in the calumnies cast on us; when saints live in such a dejected manner, as if under sentence of eternal death 5 or when we provoke others to slander us.

Q. How do we provoke others to slander us? A. By

-cur going to the utmost bounds of our Christian liberty; and by being slanderers of others, haughty, and proud boasters of ourselves, or busy bodies in other men’s matters.

O. How do we defame ourselves in our words?

A. Bv falsely accusing ourselves*, imprudently revealing our own faults, or denying the gifts and graces which ‘God hath bestowed upon us, 2 Sam. i. 10. Exod. iv. 10.

p. How do we slander our neighbours in our heart?

A. By rash, harsh, and partial judging and disesteeming of them, or by desiring and delighting in their infamy.

Q. What call you rash judging of others?

A. Our judging of their conduct without careful examination of its circumstances; and especially judging their thoughts, designs, and eternal state, Matth. vii. 1, — 5.

£). What mean you by harsh judging of others?

A. Our condemning their practice in things indifferent, interpreting their words and actions in the worst sense *, and viewing their afflictions as evidences of their distinguished wickedness, Rom. xiv. Acts xxviii. 4.

Q. What mean you by partial judging of others? A. Our judging of them on the report of adversaries, or insufficient informers, and under prejudices of our own, at their person, principles, party, or nation; and condemning them for sins less than those in which we alloi ourselves.

Q. How do we practically slander our neighbours in our deeds? A. By not duly informing them of evil reports passing on them, that they may vindicate themselves j by groundlessly shifting fellowship with them seeking out, ready listening to, easy belief, and firm remembrance of evil reports concerning them; encouraging tale-bearers; and by neglect of proper means to refute slanders, and bring slanderers to deserved punishment and shame.

Q. How do we slander our neighbours in our words?

A. By charging them with faults of which they are

innocent j or charging them with their real faults in an

unchristian manner, Psal. 1. 20. 2 Sam. xvi. 3. and xix,

26, 27.

Q. How may slander of our neighbour in words be distinguished? A. Into upbraiding and backbiting him. £). What do you understand by upbraiding him? A. Our slandering a man to his face, either in a more serious or scornful manner, 2 Sam. vii. 7, 8. 1 Cor. v. 11. Q. Wherewith do such slanderers usually upbraid their neighbour? A. With his religion, qualities, offices, exercises, and sentiments; his natural infirmities of baldness, lameness, ckc.; and his real faults, Mat. v, xi, xii. Q^Ls it very sinful to upbraid men with their holiness and religion? A. Yes y it is a reproach of God himself in and by his image in men, Psal. xxii. S, 9.

O. Is it very sinful to upbraid men with their natural defects? A. Yes; it is a reviling of God as the

author of these defects, Lev. xix. 14. 2 Kings ii. 23.

Q. How do we slander men in charging them with their real faults?

A. By twitting them with sins of which they have evidenced their repentance; and charging them with their sins in a light and passionate manner, 2 Sam. xvii.

Q. Why is it vc.; sinful to upbraid men with these sins for which they have evidenced sorrow I

Quest. 78. m the ninth Commandment. 27T

A. Because it is a counteracting the conduct of God in pardoning them.

g. Why is it very sinful reproachfully to upbraid men with their sins unrepented of?

A. Because it tends to harden them much in their sin*

g. In what do such upbraiding for sin and Christian reproof, differ?

A. Such upbraiding for sin flows from pride, passion, and hatred at the sinner, is attended with a love to his sin j and is expressed in a way tending to expose and exasperate him $ but Christian reproof flows from love to the glory of God, and the offender’s soul, and hatred at his sin j and is expressed in a meek and calm manner.

g. What is backbiting?

A. Our scornful or serious defamation of our neigh* hour in his absence, Psalm xv. 3.

O. Is it very sinful to scoff at our neighbour’s religion, natural or sinful infirmities, real or feigned, in his absence?

A. Yes y it is like a madman’s casting firebrands, arrows, and death, in his sport, Isa. xxviii. 22,

O. How do we more seriously backbite our neighbour?

A. By raising and spreading false reports of him j representing his real faults worse than they are; concealing what tends to excuse and extenuate them; publishing ihem, when it no way tends to the glory of God, or his good hiding or lessening his real excellencies, or putting a bad construction on them, Jer. xx. 10. and xviii. 18.

O. How do backbiters and whisperers ordinarily cover their hatred at him they defame?

A. By pretending their esteem of him, or their discrediting, or sorrow to hear such bad reports by requiring the slander to be kept secret, &c.

g. Doth this conduct lessen the guilt of their slander?

A. N o, it adds dissimulation to it, Prov. x. 13.

Q. Wherein iieth the great evil of slander?

A. It robs God of his glory arising from men’s good name, quenches brotherly affection, gives our neighbour such a wound as can scarce be healed, brings dishonour on ourselves, and exposes to eternal wrath, Prov. xxii. 1.

g. Whether is theft or slander worst? A. Slander, for it takes away our good name, which is better than great riches; rendevs us more useless, con* temptible, and hated 7 and is a more lasting and irre-X A a

coverable hurl than the loss of our wealth by theft, Prow xxii. 1. Ecc’. vii. 1.

Q. What then makes almost all men delight so much in slandering their neighbours

A. Pride, and a malicious inclination to make other men’s character as bad as their conscience tells them their own should be, Titus Hi. 3.

Q. What kind of falsehood and slander is most criminal? A. That which is committed in witness-bearing,

Q. Who are often guilty of falsehood and slander in public ] i lure and witness-bearing?

A.: irties at law, advocates, witnesses, and judges.

Qj How are the parties guilty of such falsehood and slander? A.. By founding pleas on false and forged

claims, boldly denying truths, asserting untruths, suborning or corrupting witnesses, bribing judges, &c.

£). How are advocates guilty? A* By misrepresenting the case of their dient j contriving and maintain, ing falsehoods to support their cause j concealing or faint* ly supporting of truth, or outfacing it with importunity and eloquence, Arts xxiv. 1, — 6„

Q How are witnesses guilty? A. By swearing

thi! gs false in themselves, or dubious to them; or witne*. sing truths with malice and envy, Acts vi. 13, 14.

A. How are the judges guilty? A. By suffering

themselves to be bribed or seduced j misrepresenting the law -, and giving verdict or sentence contrary to their own conscience or the truth, Exod. xxiii. 8.

QL What peculiar evil is in slander and falsehood com* mitted in judic -tares? A. It is committed in the

more especial presence of God, or in his name, or when he is solemnly called on to attest it, Psalm lxxxii. 1.

Q.. Is it not horrible wickedness to lie or slander in preaching a, id prayer, or to support a religious cause, and gain proselytes to it r*

A. Ye; •, it prostitutes God’s ordinances, and is aspeaking wickedly for God, Job xiii. 7.

Q. By what means mav we avoid falsehood and slander?

A. By avoiding to meddle with other men’s business Speaking little; carefully keeping our hearts ‘, and by living in the view of our un worthiness, God’s omniscienc< and the account we must give to him at the last day.