The Eighth Commandment: You Shall Not Bear False Witness Against Your Neighbor

Truly this commandment seems but little, but in very deed it is so great, that he that will keep it must be in jeopardy of his body and his life, of his goods and fame, of his friends and all that he has. And yet it comprehends no more than the work of a little member, the tongue — that is to say, the truth and gainsaying lying, if need require — and so here are forbidden many evil works of the tongue. First such as are committed by speaking, then after such as are done by holding our peace. By speaking, when he that has an evil cause in the law labors to prove and defend it by an evil foundation, to take his neighbor in a trap, to lay out all that he can to set out and promote his own cause, and hiding and making less whatever should help his neighbor's cause — in which thing he does not to his neighbor as he would be done to. There are some that do this for profit, and some partly to avoid loss or slander, and both they seek more their own profit than the commandments of God, and they excuse themselves on this fashion: the law helps him that labors — as though they were not as well bound to labor in their neighbor's cause as in their own. So they willingly suffer their neighbor's cause go to nothing, although they know that it is right — which evil is nowadays so common that I fear there is no judgment nor act but one party sins against this commandment. Yes, and be it so that they are not able to bring their purpose about, yet they have an evil mind and will to do ill, because that they would have the good cause of their neighbor decay and their own evil cause prevail. And this sin is chiefly committed by the judges, when the one part is a great man or enemy to the judges, for so they will be avenged of their enemy, and not have the displeasure of any great man. By this means are begun flattering and adulation, and at the least suppressing of the truth, for here no man will suffer disdain, hurt, and jeopardy for the truth's sake, and so the commandment of God must needs be trodden underfoot. And this is now for the most part the rule and order of the world. He that covets or wills to continue in this commandment may have both his hands full of works, and be but only occupied with his tongue. Moreover, oh good Jesus, how many are there that by gifts and rewards are driven from the truth to hold their peace? So that surely in every place, it is a high, great, and rare work for a man not to be a false witness against his neighbor.

Besides these there is yet a greater witnessing of the truth, whereby we are compelled to strive against evil spirits — but this strife begins not about temporal things, but for the gospel and the truth of the faith, which the devil cannot suffer, but so goes about all things that the chief of the people (whom it is hard to withstand) may resist and persecute the true faith — of which it is said in Psalm 81: Take away the poor man, and deliver the needy from the hand of a sinner. And that this persecution is so seldom done and grown out of use, our prelates of the spirituality are at fault, which suffer not the gospel to be preached, but to be oppressed, and so they have banished (as much as in them is) the cause for which such persecution and witness should be moved. And for the gospel they teach us their own traditions and constitutions, and whatever pleases them, and therefore Satan rests. For when the gospel is banished, faith in Christ must also be banished, and so all things come to pass after the devil's desire — but if the gospel should be raised up again and heard by the people, undoubtedly all the world should be troubled, stirring the greater part of kings, princes, bishops, doctors, and spiritual men to strive against it, as it has been always, so often as the word of God came forth to light. For the world cannot suffer that thing that comes from God — which thing was proved by our Savior Christ, who was the greatest and best beloved and chief thing that God had, and yet he was more cruelly persecuted than all other things that came from God, so far was it from the world to receive or take him. And so as in his time there are few that so favor the truth of God that they will put body and life, riches and fame, and all that they have in jeopardy for it. And that is the thing that Christ has promised to them that follow him, saying in Matthew 10: You shall be hated of all people for my name. Also then many shall be slandered. But if husbandmen, shepherds, horse-keepers, and such lowly men should persecute this truth — who then might not or would not grant and witness the truth? But now when the pope and bishops, with princes and kings, persecute it, every man flees away, all men hold their peace, all flatter, lest they should lose their goods, their honor, their favor, and at the last their life.

And why do they do this? Truly because they have no faith in God, nor think that they have any good from God, for wherever there is this faith and trust toward God, there is a strange heart, bold and without fear, which grants and stands by the truth, whether he lose body or goods, whether it be against the bishops or kings, as we see that the holy martyrs have done, for such a heart is content with the mercy and gentleness of God, and despises honor, favor, thanks, and riches of all worldly things, suffering all things to go and come that will not last and stay. As it is read in Psalm 14: He abhors such slanderous and wicked persons, and such as worship the Lord, he sets much store by. That is, tyrants and men of great power who persecute the truth and despise God — those he does not fear, regards them not, he despises them. And on the other part, those that suffer persecution for the truth and fear God more than men — those he follows, those he stands by, those he defends, those he honors, whoever may be displeased with them. As we read in chapter 11 of Hebrews, that Moses defended his brethren the children of Israel, nothing fearing the mighty king of Egypt. Again in this commandment, you see shortly how faith is the master of this work, for without faith no man dares work it, so are all works grounded upon faith, as we have often said before. And so without faith all works are dead, though they appear, seem, and shine never so finely, and be called never so good. For as no man does the work of this commandment but he who is strong, sure, and steadfast in the faith of the favor of God, so can he not do any work of the commandments without this faith. So that from this commandment every man may take a feeling and perseverance, whether he be a Christian man or no, and may know whether he does good works or no. Now we see that Almighty God has not only set before us our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom we should believe with such trust, but also that we should have him for an example of such trust, setting before us such good works in him, that we should believe in him, follow him, and abide evermore in him. As he says in chapter 17 of John: I am the way, the truth, and the life — he is the way by which we should follow him, the truth that we may believe in him, the life that we may evermore live in him. Upon these things before rehearsed, it is manifest that all other works not commanded are very perilous and easy to be known, as by building of churches, decking of them, pilgrimage to saints, and whatever is written in the pope's decrees, which deceives the world, grieves and destroys it, and makes man's conscience unquiet, and has brought faith to silence and made it weak. Therefore, inasmuch as a man has business enough to do in the commandments of God, all others set apart, so that he can never do all the good works commanded to him of God, why then does he seek others which are neither necessary to him nor commanded — these works necessary and commanded left undone?

The two last commandments forbidding evil desires or lusts of the body, and pleasures and love of temporal things, are clear in themselves and without hurt to our neighbor. And these lusts last to the grave, for the strife against them continues with us to death. Therefore Saint Paul, writing to the Romans in chapter 7, comprehends these two commandments in one, and they are set for one purpose which we cannot obtain, but only we labor and strive to come to it, to the honor of death. For there was never a man so holy who has not felt evil lusts in him, especially if he had any cause or occasion, for original sin is naturally born with us, suffering itself to be oppressed but not to be utterly plucked away but by death, which death, for the ending of this original sin, is both profitable and to be wished for, and that we may manfully fight against this original sin. I beseech God to help us. Amen.