SERMON I. Rom. 9. T. 1 fay the truth in Chrifi, 1 lie not, my Confcience alfo bearing me witne s in the holy Ghoft. f He Lord our God is the true God, a God of truth, even Truth itfelf, the firft great origi_. nal and eternal Truth, who, by the moil abfo- >. ;t'ite perfe &ion of his incomprehenfibly bleffed nature, is infinitely removed, as from all poffibility of being de- ceived or impofed on by a lie himfelf, fo from all poffi- bility of deceiving or lying to others: And to fay (as force daring men of late have done) That God may de- ceive, if he will, is not only of harîh found in Chriflian ears, but to be exploded and execrated as infinuating that the glorious maleffy of God might, if he would, and fo pleafed, ceafe to be the God of truth , or a true God; which, corafidering the identification of the Divine Na- ture and Attributes, is as much as to fay, that he mig ht, if he would, ceafe to be God; As, The fzrength of Ifrael cannot lie ; neither is he a man that he fhould lie; fo he loveth truth in the inward parts, and commandeth cozen to fpeak truth every one to his neighbour, and peremptorily prohibiteth all lying, not only all pernicious lying on de- lign to hurt, but alto all officious lying, to bring about force good to, or to divert force notable evil from, them - felves or others ; and lying in fport to make others mer- ry, and all temerarious rail lying through cuflomary loofnefs and inadvertency, called (it feems) in the fcripture,, the way of lying. And the more that men abhor lying, and love to fpeak the truth, they are in fo far the more like God, and the more unlike- the devil, .ho abode not in the truth, becaufe there no truth in him, and who, when he f'peaks a tie, fpeaks it of his own Cris properly and folely his own, and none of God's) for he is as liar, and the father of it: VVe would therefore watch - fully guard againft all lying, under whatfoever pretext, and look tivoll that we always fpeak truth, efpecially when we interpofe Confcience, and yet more efpecially when we appeal to God as witnefs of the truth of what
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