tend to his shame; so Deut. 5. 20. this Command is repeated in these words, Thou shalt not take up any witness (as it is in the original) against thy neighbour. 3. When the reports are malicious, whether they be true or false, and intended for that end, that our neighbour may lose his good name. Further, consider it in reference to the person guilty, either as he is 1. the raiser or carrier of a tale, true or false; yet tending to the prejudice of his neighbour; thus he is the maker of a lye: or 2. as he is a hearer or receiver of tales, Prov. 17. 4. Thus he is to lying as a resetter is to theft, and would not men hear tales, few would carry them, whereas when men will hearken to lyes, especially great men, all their servants ordinarily become wicked tale-bearers and whisperers: or 3. as he is the sufferer (albeit he be not the venter) of a lying tale to pass on his neighbour, (so he loveth a lye, as it is Revel. 22. 8.) or but faintly purgeth him of it, but letteth it either lye on him, or possibly taketh it up and repeateth it again, which is condemned, Psalm 15. 3. where a man that taketh up an evil report of his neighbour, even when others possibly have laid it down, is looked upon as a person who shall never dwell with God: Thus one inventeth alye, another venteth and outeth it, and a third resetteth it, like coyners, spreaders and resetters of false money; for, that one said such a thing, will not warrant our repeating of it again.
5. We may consider wrongs done to our Neighbour by words, as unjust and with∣out all ground, and so a lye is a calu••••ty, as was that of Z••ba, made of his Master Mephibosheth, this is in Latin calumnia: or when there is ground, yet when they are spoken to his prejudice, this is convitium, if especially in this they suffer for the truths sake; or, if after repentance, former faults be cast up to a person, as if one should have called Paul a blasphemer, shall even after his conversion and repentance, of this was S••imei guilty by railing on David.
6. Both these sorts of lyes are either spoken or received, and not afterward reject∣ed, as David too hastily received that false report made of Mephibosheth by his servant Ziba, and thinking it not unlikely, because the reporter made it seem to be so, did therefore conclude it was truth, and did not reject it afterwards; or when at first re∣ceived, yet after upon better information it is rejected.
7. Again, this wronging of our neighbour by words is either of him when absent, and this is backbiting, which often is done under pretence of much respect (that the report may stick the faster) in such like words as these; He is one I wi••h well, and should be loath ••o have him evil reported of, but this is too evident, this is the truth, &c. this is susurrare, to whisper. Or, it is of him when present, so it is a reproach and indignity, or upbraiding.
8. Again, this backbiting and reproaching is either direct, so that men may easily know we hate such persons, or it is indirect, granting some what to his commenda∣tion, and using such prefaces as in shew bear out much love, but are purposely design∣ed to make the wound given by the tongue the deeper, such persons are as butter in their words, but as sharp swords in their hearts, this is that dissembling love which David complaineth of.
9. Sometimes this reproaching and slandering of our Neighbour is out of spleen a∣gainst him, and is malicious; sometimes out of envy to raise and exalt ones self on the ruines of another (this is grassari in famam proximi) sometimes it is out of design, thereby to insinuate upon them whom we speak unto, as to signifie our freedom unto them, to please them, or praise them, by crying down another, that is to serve the itching humour of such who love the praise of others, when it may be we know no faults of those we speak to, yet never open our mouth to them of one of these, nor are we free with them anent them if the things be true.