toz Qeftions and Aníwers 9.Command. What istbis *.tmen plainely enough haue a care ofyour dooings that your good same may neued iuftly be touched and Rained ofany ? And a number moe fuch pithie perfwafions in this bchalfe bath the Worde. But I paffe them ouer and remember Chryfoff. vnto you , that prelim faying ofthe godly Father S. Chrjfoflame, fo fitly at this time de communi confirming my perfvvafion. There are two thinges ( fayeth he ) neceffarie for thee as krmone. thou art a Chrifian man and woman,to wir,a good confcience and a good name, the former for thy felfe,the latter for thy neighbour. But alas (faith another ) Plurisfa- Plm,lib.3 mam,paucis con fcientiam verentur, May are afraid of the touch of theirfarne , but fovea! the hidden breach of their confcience.Adde vnto their ifyou lift,alfo the iudgementes of the heathen , and HI of himwhofe wordes bee thefe : There is nothing fo great, neyther any commoditie in the worlde fo ofthee to be efleemed and defired, as that t.of 3 for it thou fhouldcf blemifh the beautie and brightneffe of the good naine ofa good man. For defire cud fayeth another, rather to heare well, than to bee rich : yea pre - ferre it in thy heart to leave unto thy pofteritie an bon eareport & name,before heapes of any riches whatfoeder,for riches are fickle & Toone difpetfed , but a good report is permanent and never dyeth. A gaine,by a good name may wealthbe gotten, but not again by wealth a good name. Laaly,nches are common to the good and bad ,but a good report is proper onely to the good. Quell. And hove may a man erwomanbell kettle agoadreportofthem? evInfro. Ageftlaue was once asked the fame queffion, and he made this aunfwer. If thou fpeakefl euer what is the ben, and doeft the thing thatis moll honea. $ocrares thus: if from thy heart thou indeuour in all trueth to be, as thou defirefteuer to be thought to bee. For a fame that is gotten bygiftesorhypocrifie, will neuer indure, butperifh. Wherefore nowe if the worde ofGod , the tefimonies of his children, and the very light of nature in heathens haue euer fo commended a good name,iudge we hereby, if we will be taught wat a ßnne it is to bee a falfe witneffe againft this precious tréafure and iewell of my neighbour,, his goodname. Iudge wewhat a monger before the face of God he is , that for the fatisfaftion eyther of his owne or other mens natures feekeht to depriue, to bite,and (launder any man wrongfully, bee the difcadite he worketh neuer fo fmall. And thus much for my fill( reafon. The fecondIdrawe from thepunifhmentwhich bath vfually happened vnto this vice either by Gods expreffe commaundement amongf3 the levees, or feerete working in the heartes of maaiftrates in other places. For verie effeilually haue I euer thought bew rayed by thefe thinges the fouleneffe of falfewitneffe bearing. The lawc ofGod Lieut. 79. t6 faith thus : Ifafal fewitnefferifeagainflamantoaceufe him oftrefpaf fe: Then both the men which ftriiee togmber(hall fland before the Lord,euen before the Prtefles andthe ledges :which (hall bee inchofedaies. And the Judges fhall mob! dilisentinqui port, and if the wit- neffe be found falfe , and bathlisten falfe witneffe ag4nfl his brother , then fhallye doe veto him as he had thong ht to doe veto his brother, fechen fhale take end away forth of the mid- deft of thee. And the rifllhall hears this andfeare,andfhall henceforth commit no more any fachwicfcedneffbamongflyou. Therefore chine e,e/ball haue no compaffion , bet life forlrfe, eye foreye, toorhforteoth ,bandforband,footeforfeo*. Amarueillouslawe, if the fpirit offeeling worde with all to peinte in vs for euer a true conceite of the perk& hatred wherewith God abhorreth falle witneffe bearing. Prou. 19, 5. Betide which law marke what Salomon faith: Afa/fe mime"; not be vnpuni- flied,and bee that fpenboh lies (hall not efeape.For howfoeuer thehand ofthe Lord which is euerful of mercy,afld long fuffering cura towards the wicked, may fpare themfor a time,yet in the rode with fharpenef e ofhis rodde will hee recompense the long de- ferring of it. And what maruell,if we markethe nature of finne ? For doth not a falfe witneffe abufe the Iudge, hurthis neighbour,make the place of iuftice and right, the nutceryof finne and gricuous wrongsi'doth he not caufe the Lord,to let in the eyes of men the crowneofinnocencie, vpon the offenders head, and toput the halter about the iuf mans necke?Than thewhich difhonour,what can be greater againff the Lord oflifc,and louer of right,to pullvpon vs his beanie ha ode ? Pericles an heathen man could fay , we mull be a friend to our friend no further than the Altar. That is , no further
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