A10933:1528
A commentary upon the whole book of Judges Preached first and delivered in sundry…A commentary vpon the vvhole booke of Iudges Preached first and deliuered in sundrie…
A commentary upon the whole book of Judges Preached first and delivered in sundry lectures; since collected, and diligently perused, and now published. For the benefit generally of all such as desire to grow in faith and repentance, and especially of them, who would more clearly understand and make use of the worthy examples of the saints, recorded in divine history. Penned by Richard Rogers preacher of Gods word at Wethersfield in Essex.A commentary vpon the vvhole booke of Iudges Preached first and deliuered in sundrie lectures; since collected, and diligently perused, and now published. For the benefit generally of all such as desire to grow in faith and repentance, and especially of them, who would more cleerely vnderstand and make vse of the worthie examples of the saints, recorded in diuine history. Penned by Richard Rogers preacher of Gods word at Wethersfield in Essex.
London: printed by Felix Kyngston for Thomas Man, 1615
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Sermon 66 › Chapter 11 › Part 2: The second part of the Chapter.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
As Jephthah here gives not place to untruth, though he prevailed not: 1wherein he honoured the Lord, in bearing witness to a good cause; so let us know, it is our duty to do: namely to bring the truth to light, as much as in us lieth; if it be but to bring them to shame who resist it, for they work much mischief and iniquity thereby: and to hold sin from multiplying, as it doth greatly by lying. And have we it in greater detestation, then some of them who would be taken for honest men, for as much as we know that the Lord hath linked such as love to make lies among dogs, Enchanters, 2and whoremongers. And let us remember that which Solomon saith: He who justifieth the wicked, (liar or other) is as abominable to the Lord, as he 3that condemneth the innocent. And the Apostle puts the consenter to evil (whether to lying, swearing, &c.) in an higher degree of sinners, then the committers. As who seeth not, that the Pharisees and Jews which hired 4and fleshed the false witnesses against our Saviour, were worse then the false witnesses themselves? Thus Samuel convicted Saul of his lye, 1. Sam. 15. Elisha 5argued Gehazi. Nay Paul, Galath. 2. did openly check and detect dissimulation in Peter, and resisted him to his face. The truth is, men in general hate lying, both the coiner of it, and the teller of it: but in particular, there are so many occasions fall out, (as sometimes when a man in favour of his kinsman will not stick to swear against conscience to purge him of adultery) to lay men open who do so, that their general hatred thereof, is turned into a special liking of it, or a tolerating it, and connivance at it. Neither is it strange, that they who are not just and armed with the breast-plate of righteousness, should want the girdle of verity. Some for bribes, favour, flattery, friendship, commodity, and such like partial and sinister respects, will (to use the proverb) not stick to say, The crow is white, if their great patrons, or such as they depend upon, will say it before them: and others for fear, are driven to conceal the truth, and to hear a falsehood justified, who are as bad as liars, and coupled with them, Revel. the last. And yet we must know, that every untruth is not a lie, except we know that which we report as an untruth, to be so.