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A faithful witness will not lie,.... For that would be contrary to his character as faithful; and as he will not

witness to a falsehood upon oath in a court of judicature, so neither will he tell a lie in common conversa-

tion. This may be applied to Gospel ministers, who are witnesses of Christ; the Gospel they preach is a

testimony concerning him, and they bear a faithful witness to the truth; nor will they, knowingly and will-

ingly, deliver out a falsehood, or a doctrinal lie, since "no lie is of the truth", 1 John 2:21; the character of

a faithful witness is given to Christ, Revelation 1:5; who is a "witness" of his father's love and grace, of

his mind and will, and of the doctrines of the Gospel relating to himself, and the method of salvation by

him; and he is "faithful" to him that appointed him; nor can he nor will he lie, for he is "truth" itself;

“A Deceitful Witness that Utter Lies”

The fourth thing is an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations. "Wicked imaginations" are literally

"thoughts of iniquity;" Hebrew, makh'sh'voth aven; Vulgate, cogitationes pessimas; . The same expres-

sion in Isaiah 59:7 is rendered "thoughts of iniquity." (On deviseth, Hebrew khoresh, see ver. 14 and ch.

3:29.) The thought is a repetition of ver. 14a. There are evil thoughts in all men's hearts; but the devis-

ing, fabricating of them, and thus making the heart into a devil's workshop, is the mark of utter depravity

and wickedness, and is abhorrent to God. The devices of the heart, though planned in secret, are clear

to him "to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are bid." The pecu-

liar position which the heart occupies in the enumeration is to be accounted for on the ground that it is

the fountain, not only of those vices which have been already mentioned, but of those which follow. The

fifth thing is feet that be swift in running to mischief. Again we are reminded of Isaiah 59:7, "Their feet

run to evil." "Mischief" (Hebrew, ra) is a re-echo of ver. 14 and Proverbs 1:16. "To run to mischief" is to

carry out with alacrity and without delay what has already been devised in the heart. It implies more

than falling or sliding into sin, which is common to all. It denotes, Cornelius a Lapide remarks, "inexple-

bilem sceleris aviditatem, destinatum studium

“A Heart That Devises Wicked Plots”

“A LYING TOUNGE”

I believe if you keep your faith, you keep your trust, you keep the

right attitude,

if you're grateful, you'll see God open up new doors.

"A Proud Look"

Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously.

A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our

opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.

Their feet run to evil. It is, however, only too true that they have a power to work evil. They cannot construct,

their devices fall through, their "spinning" is to no purpose; but they can, in a rough and blind way, do enor-

mous mischief. "Their feet run to evil" - rush to it at full speed - brook no delay, but hurry on into act. It is an

easy thing to shed innocent blood; and those who are conscious of constructive impotence are very apt to

seek compensation by doing destructive work, which at least shows that they have a power of some kind.

Hence "Reigns of Terror" when revolutions are at the last gasp. The strong expressions with respect to

sheddingshedding innocent blood, used here and in 2 Kings 21:16 and 2 Kings 24:4, seem to imply something like

a massacre of the more godly Israelites by the ungodly in Manasseh's time. Wasting and destruction (com-

pare the "destruction and misery" of Romans 3:16,

“Feets that are swift to run into mischief”

“Him That Spread Discord Among Associates”

A false witness that speaketh lies,.... Or, "that speaketh lies, even a false witness" (f); and so this is dis-

tinguished from a lying tongue, the second of these evils: this is the sin of bearing false witness against

one's neighbour, a breach of the eighth command. It may be rendered, "he that bloweth lies" (g); that

raises lies, and spreads them abroad, and swears to them, to the damage of others. This makes the

sixth; and the seventh follows,

and him that soweth discord among brethren; whether in a natural relation, or in a civil society, or in a

religious community