CHAPTER XI. AWFUL JUDGMENTS FOR LYING

The following account of God’s manifest judgments for the awful sin of lying, is related by Charles Buck, author “Religious Anecdotes.” He says: MIRP 98.1

“The following awful account is related of a man whose name shall be concealed, in tenderness to surviving relatives. He waited upon a magistrate near Hitchin, in the county of Hertford, and informed him that he had been stopped by a young gentleman of Hitchin, who had knocked him down and searched his pockets; but not finding anything there he suffered him to depart. The magistrate, astonished at this piece of intelligence, dispatched a messenger to the young gentleman, ordering him to appear immediately, and answer to the charge exhibited against him. The youth obeyed the summons, accompanied by his guardian and an intimate friend. Upon their arrival at the seat of justice, the accused and the accuser were confronted; when the magistrate hinted to the man he was fearful that he had made the charge with no other view than that of extorting money, and bade him take care how he proceeded; exhorting him, in the most earnest and pathetic manner, to beware of the dreadful train of circumstances attending perjury. MIRP 98.2

“The man insisted upon making oath of what he had advanced. The oath was accordingly administered, and the business fully investigated, when the innocence of the young gentleman was established, he having, by the most incontrovertible evidence proved an alibi. The infamous wretch, finding his intention thus frustrated, returned home much chagrined, and meeting soon afterward with one of his neighbors, he declared he had not sworn to anything but the truth, calling God to witness the same in the most solemn manner, and wished, if it was not as he said, his jaws might be locked, and that his flesh might rot upon his bones; when, terrible to relate! his jaws were instantly locked, and the use of the faculty he had so awfully perverted was denied him forever; and, after lingering nearly a fortnight, he expired in the greatest agonies, his flesh literally rotting upon his bones.” MIRP 99.1

Again Mr. Buck says: MIRP 99.2

“One day there happened a tremendous storm of lightning and thunder, as archbishop Leighton was going from Glasgow to Dunblane. He was descried, when at a distance, by two men of bad character. They had not courage to rob him; but wishing to fall on some method of extorting money from him, one said, ‘I will lie down by the way-side, as if I were dead, and you shall inform the archbishop that I was killed by the lightning, and beg money of him to bury me.’ When the archbishop arrived at the spot, the wicked wretch told him the fabricated story. He sympathized with the survivor, gave him money, and proceeded on his journey. But when the man returned to his companion, he found him really lifeless! Immediately he began to exclaim, ‘Oh, sir, he is dead! Oh, sir, he is dead!’ On this, the archbishop discovering the fraud, left the man with this important reflection: ‘It is a dangerous thing to trifle with the judgments of God.’”—Relig. Anec., pp. 237-289. MIRP 99.3

Probably no more solemn instance has ever occurred of the evil consequences of the sin of lying than that which is recorded in the following inscription on the market cross of Devizes, in Wiltshire, England: MIRP 100.1

“The mayor and corporation of Devizes avail themselves of the stability of this building to transmit to future times the record of an awful event, which occurred in this market-place in the year 1753, hoping that such a record may serve as a salutary warning against the danger of impiously invoking the Divine vengeance, or of calling on the holy name of God, to conceal the devices of falsehood and fraud. On Thursday, the 25th of January, 1753, Ruth Pierce, of Pottern, in this county, agreed with three other women to buy a sack of wheat in the market, each one paying her due proportion toward the same. One of these women, in collecting the several quotas of money, discovered a deficiency, and demanded of Ruth Pierce the sum which was wanting to make good the amount. Ruth Pierce protested that she had paid her share, and said she wished she might drop down dead if she had not. She rashly repeated this awful wish, when, to the consternation of the surrounding multitude, she instantly fell down and expired, having the money concealed in her hand.” MIRP 100.2