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Ten Commandments
8th Commandment ⇐ ⇒ 10th Commandment
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“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”
Ex. 20:16
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Subsection
Acting Doesn’t Break the 9th Commandment
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Order of Contents
Articles 15+
Historical 1
Sarcasm 1
Latin 2
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Articles
1300’s
Wyclif, John – On the Truth of Holy Scripture tr. Ian C. Levy in TEAMS Commentary Series (1377-1378; Medieval Institute Publications, 2001)
pt. 2
ch. 13, ‘The Necessity of Speaking the Truth’, pp. 180-87
ch. 14, ‘The Proper Ocassions for Speaking the Truth’, pp. 187-97
pt. 3
ch. 16, ‘The Nature of Lies, Deceptions & Falsehoods’, pp. 219-35
ch. 17, ‘Sacred Sutleties versus Blatant Lies’, pp. 235-50
ch. 18, ‘Different Ways of Speaking the Truth’, pp. 250-57
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1500’s
Bullinger, Henry – 4th Sermon, ‘Of the fifth and sixth precepts of the 2nd Table…’ in The Decades ed. Thomas Harding (Cambridge: Parker Society, 1850), vol. 2, 3rd Decade, pp. 111-24
Calvin, John – 9th Commandment in Institutes of the Christian Religion tr. Henry Beveridge (1559; Edinburgh: Calvin Translation Society, 1845), vol. 1, bk. 2, pp. 478-81
Vermigli, Peter Martyr – The Common Places… (d. 1562; London: Henrie Denham et al., 1583), pt. 2
13. ‘The Ninth Precept: of Not Bearing False Witness’ 528
‘Of Contempt’ 528
‘Of Suspicions’ 533
‘Of Mocking & Taunting’ 534
‘Of Deceit or Guile’ 534
‘Whether guile be lawful for the rooting out of idolatry and heresies’ 539
‘Of Dissimulation’ 541
‘Of Truth & of a Lie’ 542
‘Whether it be lawful to lie for preserving the life of our neighbor’ 546
‘Whether we may lie for modesty’s sake’ 547
‘Whether Faith against a promise breaker must be kept’ 548
‘Of a Fable & Apology’ 550
Musculus, Wolfgang – Common Places of the Christian Religion (1560; London, 1563)
9th Commandment 96.b
The meaning of this precept 96.b
What is witness and what the use of it is 96.b
We have more use of faith than of knowledge 97.a
1. How many kinds of witness there be 97.a
Testimonies in open court and out of court 97.a
2. That we be not forbidden to bear witness 97.b
3. We be not forbidden to bear witness against our neighbor 97.b
How a man may witness against his neighbor not breaking charity 98.a
How we must love our neighbor 98.a
4. How many ways false witness is borne 98.a
Ignorance, wittingly, pleasant lies 98.a
False witness in judgment 98.b
5. Of what kind of witness this law of God does speak 98.b
That he means the testimony is open court 99.a
The testimony or verdict in open court is most dangerous 99.a
6. What need it was to command that no false witness should be born against a man’s neighbor 99.a
The precept seems to be superfluous 99.a
The general cause of the whole Decalogue 99.b
The special cause, because every man is a liar, Jn. 8 & 14 99.b
We do the worse, knowing better 99.b
Against thy neighbor 99.b
7. Of the evil of false witness 99.b
The evil of lying generally 99.b
It excludes us from the hill of god, Ps. 15 100.a
It does defile our tongue 100.a
It takes away faith 100.a
It is increased by circumstances, Acts 5 100.a
Two kinds of flattery 100.b
Saul, 1 Sam. 18 100.b
The Pharisees, Mt. 22; the Serpent 100.b
Cain; Joab, 2 Sam. 3 & 10; Prov. 27 100.b
Ps. 53 101.a
The evil of backbiting 101.a
Backbiting has flattery for his companion 101.a
Backbiting hurts him that is absent 101.a
It hurts the neighbors good name and life; Esther 101.a
Haman; Doeg; 1 Sam. 22; David; 1 Sam. 24 101.a
What the Scripture does attribute to a backbiting tongue 101.a
The evil of false witness; 1 Kings 21; Dan. 13; Acts 6-7 101.a
Cruel inquisition and examination 101.a
8. Of the penalty and revenge of false witness 102.a
The revenge of God, Prov. 6 & 21 102.a
The revenge of the Law, Dt. 19 102.b
Dt. 22 & 19 102.b
Augustine, Question 33 102.b
Ursinus, Zachary – The Sum of Christian Religion: Delivered… in his Lectures upon the Catechism… tr. Henrie Parrie (d. 1583; Oxford, 1587)
Ninth Commandment
. The Virtues of this Ninth Commandment, together with their Vices
Beza, Theodore, Anthony Faius & Students – 38. ‘Upon the Ninth Commandment’ in Propositions & Principles of Divinity Propounded & Disputed in the University of Geneva by Certain Students of Divinity there, under Mr. Theodore Beza & Mr. Anthony Faius… (Edinburgh: Waldegrave, 1591), pp. 94-97
Virel, Matthew – 9th Commandment in A Learned & Excellent Treatise Containing All the Principal Grounds of Christian Religion (London, 1594), bk. 2, 1. Of Good Works, 1st Part, Exposition of the Moral Law
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1600’s
Perkins, William
A Golden Chain (Cambridge: Legat, 1600)
28. 9thCommandment
A Direction for the Government of the Tongue an appendix to A Golden Chain (Cambridge: Legat, 1600)
5. Of truth, and of reverence in speech
6. Of modesty and of meekness
7. Of sobriety, urbanity, fidelity and care of others’ good name
8. Of the bonds of truth
Ames, William – ch. 21, ‘Telling the Truth’ in The Marrow of Theology tr. John D. Eusden (1623; Baker, 1997), bk. 2, pp. 325-28
Ames (1576-1633) was an English, puritan, congregationalist, minister, philosopher and controversialist. He spent much time in the Netherlands, and is noted for his involvement in the controversy between the reformed and the Arminians. Voet highly commended Ames’s Marrow for learning theology.
Wolleb, Johannes – 13. ‘The Virtues and Works Connected with the Ninth Commandment’ in Abridgment of Christian Divinity (1626) in ed. John Beardslee, Reformed Dogmatics: J. Wollebius, G. Voetius & F. Turretin (Oxford Univ. Press, 1965), bk. 2, pp. 251-57
Wolleb (1589–1629) was a Swiss reformed theologian. He was a student of Amandus Polanus.
Leigh, Edward – A System or Body of Divinity… (London, A.M., 1654)
bk. 4, ch. 20. ‘Of Lying…’, pp. 366-68
bk. 9, ch. 10, The Ninth Commandment, pp. 749-57
Turretin, Francis – Institutes of Elenctic Theology, tr. George M. Giger, ed. James Dennison Jr. (1679–1685; P&R, 1994), vol. 2
11th Topic
20. ‘Whether a lie under any pretext can be rendered virtuous and lawful. We deny against the Socinians.’ 129
15th Topic
11. ‘What is the object of faith in general and can what is false come under it? We deny.’ 571
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1700’s
à Brakel, Wilhelmus – ch. 54, ‘The Ninth Commandment’ in The Christian’s Reasonable Service, vol. 3 ed. Joel Beeke, trans. Bartel Elshout Buy (1700; RHB, 1992/1999), pp. 227-37
a Brakel (1635-1711) was a contemporary of Voet and Witsius and a major representative of the Dutch Further Reformation.
De Moor, Bernard – Continuous Commentary
ch. 3
section 20, ‘The Free Confession of True Religion’
section 20, ‘The Prudent Confession of True Religion’
ch. 4, section 45, ‘God’s Unfailing Truth & Faithfulness’
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Historical
On the Reformation
Article
Blacketer, Raymond A. – ‘No Escape by Deception: Calvin’s Exegesis of Lies & Liars in the Old Testament’ in Reformation & Renaissance Review (2010), pp. 267-89
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On Sarcasm, etc.
References
Ames, William – Marrow of Theology, bk. 2, ch. 21, ‘On Telling the Truth,’ section 20, p. 326
Turretin, Francis –
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Latin
1600’s
Voet, Gisbert
9th Commandment in Syllabus of Theological Problems (Utrecht, 1643), pt. 1, section 2, tract 1 Abbr.
Select Theological Disputations, vol. 4 (Utrecht, 1667)
41. Some 9th Commandment Problems: ‘On Lying, False Appearance & of Disguising’, pt. 1 631
42. pt. 2: ‘On Deceit, Equivocation & Mental Reservation’ 640
43. pt. 3: ‘On Falsehood’ 661
44. pt. 3: ‘On Falsehood’, pt. 2 681
. Appendix: Some Questions 695
45. ‘On Calumny, Detraction & Reviling’, pt. 1 702
46. pt. 2 715-29
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50. ‘A Syllabus of Questions on the Whole Decalogue’, 9th Commandment
Of veracity and deception in general 820
Of candor, simplicity, fidelity in words and promises, and the opposites: simulation, fawning, contrivances, frauds, equivocation and mental reservation or restriction 820
On some crass species of deception: detraction, cavillation, disparagement, calumny, or defamation through words, writings, comedies and widespread libels 821
On deriding 821
On envy, pride, arrogance, rash judgment, presumption and suspicion 822
On loquaciousness, or much-speaking 822
On keeping silent, governing the tongue and defense and vindication of a report 822
On punishments of deceptions 822
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