A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
Ver. 17. A proud look.] Heb., Haughty eyes. Men's hearts usually and chiefly sit and show themselves in oculis, in loculis, in poculis, in their eyes, purses, and cups. The Latins speaking of an arrogant disdainful person say, that he doth supercilium attollere, look loftily. a Odi fastum istius Ecclesiae, said Basil; b I hate the proud stateliness of that Western Church: the Church of Rome he means, which even in those purer times began to look big, and despise all others in comparison of itself. c This he somewhere calls οφρυς δυτικη, the Western eyebrow, which occasioned at length that lamentable separation of the Eastern or Greek Church from communion with the Latin: the other four patriarchs dividing themselves from the Bishop of Rome, and at their parting, using these or the like words, - "Thy greatness we know, thy covetousness we cannot satisfy; thine intolerable insolence we can no longer endure, live to thyself," &c. d God himself "resists" a proud person in a special manner, 1Pe 5:5 and that "afar off"; Psa 138:6 he cannot abide the sight of him, looks aloof at him. For whereas all other vices fly from God, saith Boethius, pride lets fly at him. e No wonder therefore though his soul abhor it, when it "buds especially," Eze 7:10 and "testifies to a man's face," Hos 7:10 breaking forth as the masterpock of the soul in big swelling words, bubbles of vanity, 2Pe 2:18 proud gait, ridiculous gestures, garish attire, lofty and haughty looks, that hate of heaven and gate to hell. David could not endure it in any of his. Psa 101:5 No more could Queen Elizabeth in the greatest favourite about her. Dissension once falling out between her and Essex about a fit man for government of Ireland, he forgetting himself, and neglecting his duty, uncivilly turneth his back, as it were in contempt, with a scornful look. She waxing impatient, gave him a cuff on the ear, bidding him begone with a vengeance, &c. f For avoiding of all discontent and distempers this way occasioned, it were to be wished that men would first get humble hearts, - the apostle makes humble mindedness the first virtue, Eph 4:2 as here a proud look is made the first vice, the master root, - and then, that they would enter into a covenant, as Job did, with his own eyes at least; Job 31:1 such a covenant as was once made at a meeting of the Borderers in the marches between England and Scotland: security was given and confirmed on both sides by oath, according to custom, and proclamation made, saith mine author, g that no man should harm other by word, deed, or look.
A lying tongue.] Heb., A tongue of lying - viz., that hath learnt the trade, and can do it artificially. "A friar, a liar," was the old proverb here, passing for current of that evil generation, those loud and lewd liars. "The proud have forged lies against me"; Psa 119:69 - Assunt mendacium mendacio, so the Hebrew hath it; they sew one lie to another, "until their iniquity be found to be hateful." Psa 36:2 "A righteous man" - how much more the righteous God! - "hateth lying; but a wicked man" - for his lying - "is loathsome" (Heb., stinketh), "and cometh to shame." Pro 13:5 Pilate, for instance, - of whom Egesippus saith that he was Vir nequam et parvi faciens mendacium, a naughty man, and that made light of a lie. It may seem so by that scornful question of his What is truth? Joh 18:38 Tacitus also is by Tertullian said to be mendaciorum loquacissimus. Where he speaks of Christians, he writes so many lines, so many lies. Liars pervert the end for which God created speech, which was, to give light to the notions of the mind. Hence φωνη, quasi φως του νου .
And hands that shed innocent blood.] This is fitly subjoined and set after a lying tongue, because bloodshed is oft occasioned by lying.
“ Nil est audacius illis
Deprensis: iram atque animos ex crimine sumunt. ”
- Juvenal.
Ruffians revenge the lie given them with a stab. Persecutors, as in the French massacre, give out that Christians are the worst of men, not fit to live for their notorious enormities, and therefore not to be pitied if taken from the earth. Those that kill a dog, saith the French proverb, make the world believe he was mad first. So they always belied the Church, and traduced her to the world, and then persecuted her; first "took away her veil," and then "wounded her,." Son 5:7 The devil was first a slanderer and liar, and then a murderer. He cannot murder without he slander first. But "God will destroy them that speak lies; the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man." Psa 5:6
a Profecto oculis animus inhabitat - Plin.
b Ep. ad Evagr.
c Quid verum sit neque sciunt, nequc sustinent discerere. - Ibid.
d Dr Field, Of the Church. Gerson. Carleton.
e Sola superbia se Deo opponit.
f Camden's Elisab. 494.
g Ibid., 279.