The record-union., 1899-02-13
The NINTH COMMANDMENT.
REARNG FALSE WITNESS
AGAINST OUR NEIGHBOR.
Eloquent Sermon delivered by
Rabbi Simon Last Friday
Night.

The following sermon on the Ninth
Commandment was delivered by Rabbi
Simon last Friday evening:
In our discussion of the Ten Com
mandments we have reached for this
evenings consideration the ninth, which
reads as follows: Thou shalt not bear
false witness against thy neighbor
Plainly this has reference to the sin or
perjury, one of the great offenses or
modern society, and even more heartily
condemned and punished in preceding
civilizations. A perjurer is one VINO,
under oath, swears falsely and mali
ciously, to his neighbor's hurt or his
own benefit. A perjurer is justly
,spurned and scorned by all men as
dangerous citizen who violates the
highest and most fundamental laws OF
Justice and right. stultif1es his own con-
science, besmears his own reputation,
and blackens that of his neighbor.
We shall not understand the deep
wickedness of perjury as meant by Mo-
ses unless we investigate the nature of
an oath, particularly a false OATH or
course the Ninth Commandment refers
to bringing false testimony in a court
In all cases IN this country before a
court witness holds up his right hand,
swearing in the name of God that he
will speak the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth. The Quak-
ers, because Of religious conviction, and
atheists, because of intellectual convic-
ton, do not and will not swear in the
name Of God, yet are compelled to "af-
firm that they will speak the truth. II
the oath is deemed so important to-day.
reflect for a moment how vastly more
of an institution it must have been in
the life of our ancient ancestors. AS
far as records take us, long before the
days of Moses, the oath filed a neces-
sary niche in the economy of society.
Before the development of the juridi-
cfal and judicial system, long before
courts of justice, witness box and the
thousand and one paraphernalia of our
modern institutions were dreamt of, it
became absolutely necessary to rely on
mans word of honor, especially when
the tutelary deity or deities were in
voked. An oath was as good as a
bond-yea, in fact, it was a bond of
connection between the individual, his
clan. and their supervising God An
oath was half the testimony The wit
ness Who saw murder committed or
heard an discriminating report placed
his hand on the devoted altar or sacred
sacrifice, swearing in the name of his
god to the truth of what he was about
to utter. Sacred indeed was that ad-
Duration. No one may have been pres
ent, yet 1t was registered in heaven. An
oath broken was compact broken with
God, the father of oaths This sacred
ness of swearing held among all the
early people, Jews and non-Jews.
From the Greeks and Romans it came
to the Church Fathers, and thus into
modern life.
Now here comes along a man who,
invoking Gods name, testifies falsely:
what is his offense? 1t consists in ask
ing God to witness to the truth of a lie
he has deliberately told 1t consists in
azviolation of thel Third Commandment.
of having employed that Name in vain,
and also of the Ninth Commandment,
OF bearing lying testimony against his
neighbor. He sins against God and
against man. He bellies his own name.
II ne has any at all to uphold, and has
worse than all-besmeared and be-
smirched the good name of his fellow
man and tribesmen. Since society de-
PcHdS vi the SOOu name OF It's citizens.
society is the sufferer
We now can realize the practical wis
dom of the Hebrew lawgiver in plac-
ing the sin of perjury among the great
Ten Commandments, the first Magma
Charta on record. Since I am not a
Judge, giving a charge to a jury. nor
a prison chaplain, addressing some
guilty sinners, and since I can feel as
sured that you will not be guilty of SO
heinous crime, I shall content myself
with what have thus far said on the
wickedness of perjury, and pass to the
consideration of false testimony" given
outside the court and witness box.
Should there, however. arise the faint
est doubt from one who is not so thor
oughly convinced of its wickedness, let
him one moment look across the ATTAIN
tic and behold a land that is doomed to
decay and destruction, because its sup
posedly best citizens have broken the
Ninth Commandment The whole Drey-
fus case Is assuming such alarming
proportions. because of the damnable
perjury committed by some of the no.
bility of France
The Ninth Commandment. dear
friends, has a wide application Can
we bring false witness without being
penned up in a witness box, a victim