Agterklappen, v. to backbite, to slander. The Teutonic, or ancient German word Verleumdung, s. pronounced Ferlimedung, is calumny, slander, slandering, backbiting, detracting, detraction, false imputation, malicious aspersion, defamation, defaming, decrying, blemishing, traduction, traducing, obtrectation, medisance, French for slander. Schaenden, schmachen, or schmaen, v. to abuse, blame, injure, detract, cavil, defame, vilify, revile, disgrace, slander, vituperate, that is a blaming or finding fault, rebuke, outrage one, put an affront, abuse, blame, injury or aspersion upon him, blast or blot his credit, honor, or reputation. He that uttereth slander is a fool. Proverbs x. 18. Verleumder, or Ferlimeder, a calumniator, slanderer, backbiter, false accuser, sycophant, pickthank, decryer, defamer or detracter, lastermaul. Verleumderisch, or Ferlimederish, calumnious, slanderous, backbiting, traducing, blaming, slandering, Verleumdet or Ferlimedet, slandered. Verleumden, v. or Ferlimeden, to backbite, slander, defame, calumniate, asperse, detract, or traduce one, decry, wound, blemish, asperse, or blot his reputation, speak evil of him, cast an aspersion or blemish upon his honor. Who, in his reason, does not at first sight discover how much more original and copious the Teutonic or ancient German is than the English? And who also dare deny that from the above explanation from the Teutonic, there are slanderous truths as well as slanderous falsehoods? We shall, in another place in this work, bring in the French word for slander, with some indisputa ble law authorities, as we are not only greatly indebted to the bench, but also to the lawyers in general, for the little legal information which we possess upon slander. Those who take sacerdotal liberties to speak and write with religious and private severity of others, from the example of prophets, Jesus, and the apostles, should never forget, 1st. That our duty is to love our neighbour as ourselves, always asking, before we expose a brother, how would I like such obloquys? 2dly. Can we take the same liberties as Jesus, who knew the hearts of all men, and knew, as did also the apostolic discerners of spirits, how, when, where, what, and to whom to speak. 3dly. That before St. Paul and the churches gave up certain persons to Satan, or wrote warning epistles to the incorrigible, or rebuked them publicly, as some of our modern would-be-thought apostles; they exercised the utmost extent of merciful reclaiming, spoken of in Matt. xviii. Luke xvii. Gall. vi. and 1 Cor. xiii. And 4thly. That Jesus sent word to backsliding Peter of his resurrection, in three or four days after his public apostacy, and restored him to his ministry in a few days after, instead of blasting his fame, as some of our clerical lords do and have done; and that St. Paul wrote to restore the very wicked Corinthian to the church, lest he should be swallowed up of overmuch sorrow, as are and have been millions by ecclesiastical harshness, slander, and oppression, which often terminates in the civil, spiritual, and eternal destruction of the poor bruised reeds. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, that is to say, "Every man, as plainly appears, 1st. By comparing this place with verse 34, where this law is applied to strangers. 2d. Because the word neighbour is explained by another man." Lev. xx, 10. Rom. xiii. 8. And 3dly, because in Jer. xxxiv. 17, even a slave is called a brother and neighbour. Although the Gospel is called The perfect law of liberty, James i. 25, and that we only seem to be religious if we bridle not the tongue, ver. 26, yet millions "having quite lost the way of nobleness, and climbed up to the height of terribleness." Substitute worryism, lionism, and damnationism, under the equivocal pretext that religious liberty is not altogether republicanism. Love covereth a multitude of sins, 1 Pet. iv. 8. "Yea, love covereth all things. He that loves another, covers his faults, how many soever they be; he turns away his eyes from them, and, as far as is possible, hides them from others." Neither as lording over the heritage, 1. Pet. v. 3. "Behaving in a haughty, domineering manner, as though you had dominion over their conscience. The word translated heritage, is literally the portions, ver. 5. elder or younger, subject to each other. Let every one be ready upon all occasions to give up his own will." J. W. Yet in the very charge of the Holy Ghost, lording, hearsay, and exparte judging has flown in upon us as the sea upon Babylon; principles in slander, with their aiders, abettors, and counsellors have been, and are encouraged in many circles, even in several of the churches, as also by politicians, civilians, and courts, where malicious prosecutors are often admitted, to the shame of whom we shall produce two edicts of the emperors Adrian and Antoninus, on behalf of the Christians: "Unto Minutus Fundanus, proconsul of Asia, Adrian sendeth greeting I received an epistle from Serenius Granianus, that right worthy man, and thy predecessor, the occasion whereof I cannot with silence leave it untouched, lest that thereby men be troubled, and a gap left open to the malice of sycophants. In plain words, if any, upon spite or malice, commence or cavil against them, see you chastise him for his malice, and punish him with revengement.”—Eusebius Pamphilus, book iv. p. 61. If all men in church and state would imitate Adrian herein, Luciferian pedlers, postriders, and commercial smugglers, should not be permitted to trade in such stolen goods, devil's love letters, or freights of slander, upon the high roads and seas of defamation. Extract of an epistle from Antoninus Pius, unto the commons of Asia, in the behalf of the Christians not to be persecuted: "The emperor Cæsar, Marcus Aurelius, Antoninus, Armenicus, Pontifex, Maximus, fifteen times tribune, thrice consul, unto the community of Asia greeting If any be found busied in other men's affairs, we command that the accused be absolute and free, though he be found such a one, I mean faulty, and that the accuser be grievously punished."--Eusebius, lib. iv. p. 63. "This edict was proclaimed at Ephesus, in the hearing of the great assembly of Asia, witness hereof is Meliton, bishop of Sardis, who flourished at that time in his profitable apology to the emperor Verus." Mark the emperor's words-" If any be found busy in other men's affairs, we command that the accused be absolute and free, though faulty, and that the accuser be grievously punished." This would be punishing the real malicious sinner, who is the implacable felon, and letting the supposed one go free until prosecuted without malice; that is to say, scripturally and legally: all of which requires time, patience, forbearance and forgiveness. "Apollonius, a person renowned for learning and philosophy, at that time in Rome, was a sincere Christian. He was accused by a slandering informer before Perennius, the judge, a person of considerable influence in the reign of Commodus, the emperor. According to the law of Antoninus Plus, which had been revived by Commodus, requiring that the accusers of Christians should be put to death, Perennius sentenced the accuser and his legs were broken. In this he obeyed the dictates of the law; in what follows he obeyed the dictates of his own malice, or rather that of the senate. The prisoner was required to give an account of his faith before the senate and the court. He complied, and delivered an apology for christi anity; and by a decree of the senate was beheaded. This is perhaps the only trial we read of in which both accuser and accused suffered judicially." If all malicious informers were to have their legs broken, as were those of the aforesaid devil's pedler, they would run very few four mile heats of obloquy for his satanic majesty. Adam Clarke, in remarking upon Even so must their wives not be slanderers, 1 Tim. iii. 11. observes, not slanderers, (Greek) "literally, not devils. This may be properly enough translated slanderers, backbiters, talebearers, &c. for all these are of their father the devil, and his lusts they will do. Let all such, with the vast tribe of calumniators and dealers in scandal, remember that the apos |