The Dtlties and Sins of the Tongue. 9· 8. 7· Gods Law and Judg~mtHt wiU beft teach·you what regard you ~!d have to .'t:PtJrd,. ·~hrifi telleth you that byyour words yo1e .foaU be j•ftified, a11d by your words .r"'Jf"U be condtt~ned, Matt.h. M b 12 . 3 7 • A~d lt is wordJ ofBlafPhemy againjt tbe Holy Ghoft, which are the u~pardonabte fin, Jam.3.2· r:e~ ~~;·~~~ .If auy nt>lll offend J!OI in word, tl~e fome Ua perfell m.$11, and able to bridle t e whole bo~y. v. 6. The bur few words. tongHt iJ a fire; a world of iniquity: fo iJtht·tongue ~Zmongjl tmr membtrs, b.t it defiletb the 1 Who1e nttd not n~.. body a 11 d jftttth on fire the cortr[e of nalure, t!nd it is [et on fire of HeU: \Jam. I· 26. If any man ~~ L~;s, fa1d tJmo;g you [tun to be Keligiotft, and bridlt!h· ~ot hi1 .tongtte, but deceiveth hi~ ow_n heart,. th~s manr he ~as~s~;;11 Rtligirm ir vain. 1 Pet• 3• IO· F~r he that 1 w:U love life and fee good dayet, Jc"t. hun refram hu tongut why fJtNrg 11 .s [tom evil, and his lips that they [pealz no guile, Matth. 12· 36. But f fay unto you, tbtf.t every idtt.nude (o few word that mm]hall fpetf.ft..., they jhall give account thtreof in the day of judgement. J:he th~rd Corn~ Laws. l~M. mandment tellcth ~s, that God w!lln_ot hol~~.hjm _guiltlefs .'?-'' ta!<fth his Name ~n vaiN. An~. P~ai. :p:~~.hcg. 15 • 1, 2, 3• Speakjng tht truth :n hu beart, and not brJck_b1tmg, wtth tht tangue, IS the mark of htm · · that fhall abide inGodr1abernaclt, and dwell in bir holy HiU. And the very work ofHeaven is faid to be the perpetual praijing of God. Rev. I4· tlo Judge now howGod i.\Jdgtth of your wordr. 9. 9 • 8. And fome conjecture may be made by the judgtmtHt of •i!!J the world. Do you not care your fdves what men fpeak of you and to you? Do yo~ not ca~e. ~hat language, your chiL– dren, or flrvams, ·or neighbours give you ? Are not words a&amO. the Kmg trtafonable and capiral as well as deeds? The wheel of a.ff.1irr, 9r tfJJtrfi of nature 11 fit on fire by wordsl Jam ... 3· 6. (may '<?ndude then with Prov. I 8. 2 I: Dt.ttb and life. are in tbe power of the tongue : and Prov. 21. 23. Wbofo k!•petl> his moHti> and hu tollgtte, k!epeth lm foul f._m troub/t. 9· 10. Dired-. 2. Vnderftand well and_ remember the particular dutier of the Tongitr: For the meer D'ire{l. 2 refirain.t of it from evil is not enough: And they are thefe, •· To glorifie God by the magnifying of • his Name: To fpeak of the prailesof his Attributes and Works. 2· To fing Pfalms ofPraife to him Tho Durios and delight our fOuls in the fw.eet commemoration of his exct_llencicr. 3· To give him thanks fo; .oftbcTongue. the mercies already receiVed, and declare to others ~hat he harh done f6r our fouls and bodies, for , ·his Church and for the world.. 4· To pray ~o htm for what _we want, and for our br~thren , ~J~tr~, ~f/~a. for the Church , and for the convcrfion of hts a11d our enemtes. 5· To appeal to h1m and cuor [; · :l . fwear by his Name when we are called to it lawfully. 6. To make our ncceffary Covenants and ~· Q!_!~d" dfc~ Vows to him, and to make open pro[effion of our belief, fubjedion and obedience to him, before re oporrer : · men. 7· To pr.each hi~ Word, or. declare it in difcourfe, and to tea_ch thofe that arec.olnmitfed to ;~~~~;:e~~ul~ -our care, and edtfie the Ignorant and erroneous as we have opportumty. 8. To defend the truth of 1 • Ad . • God by conference or difputation ; and confl~te the falfe doctrine of deceivers. 9· To. exhort men 4· ~i~d~ fit (0 their particular duties, 'and tO reproVe then particular firs; and endeaVOUr tO do them good 3.s WC lliCeAdum·: are able. IO• Toconfefs our ownfinstoGodan~ man as: wc_have~ccafion. u. To_ crav~ rhe ad- ~i:e~~orret • vice and h~lp of othe~s f~r our f~uls; and enq~tre after the Will of God, a~d the way to falvation. uti/ia &udi~"I2. To pra1le that whtch IS good m others, and fpeak good of all men, fupenours, equals and infe~ centi & ;~.udi..; riors, fo far as there is juft ground and caufe. 13· To bear witnefs to the truth, when we <ire cal~ rori: Nee ~ led to it. I,._.. To defend the caufe of the juft and innocent, and vindicate them againfi f~lfe a~- nimis mufra cufers ; and excufe thofc caufes a'nd perfons that defcrve excufe. 1S· To communicate and con- nee pafci.ora , vey ~o others the fame good imprtlfionr. and tf..Jfetiions b~ mind, whi.ch God bath_wrought on M, and ~~~~e:~::r~; net only the bare trutlu themfelves wh1ch we have rcceJved. 16. Ltftly, To be tnHrumf,:nts of cor:n~ femores di~ moa converfc:; of cxpreffing our mutual affeetio~s and refped:s, and _tranfactiug a.ll ouf worldly bu- cendum_ fi_r, ~ finefs: for learning, arts, manufad:ures, &c. Thefe are the ufes and Datics ofthe TongUe. ver~a J!h z-: tau congru2 Vero :td juniorfS diccndum /it , nlajore :IUtoritate u~amui" 1i11 dicendo, i':1:r~~1JUr~/~~ 9· 11• Dired:. 3• Vnderjland and rtmtmbtr what art the fini of tht 'ton~ne to bt avoidtd. And th~y Tlire{J. 3 • are very many, and many of them vtrJ great: The moll obfervable are thcfe. . Th~finsofthr: 9· 12. •· ( Not to fay any more of thdins of omiflion; becaule it is eafie to know them., whe~ Tong••·. I have named the DutitJ, which are d'?ne .or omitted ), among the fins of Commif!i 1 m, the tirll tha~ I !hall name is Blafpbemy, as being the greatell: which is the Rtproaching of God: to fpeak con, remptuoufly ofGod, or to vilifie him, p~ 4iihonour him by the denying of his perfeCtions, and tO debafe him by falfe Titles, Doctrines, Images, Referublances, as likening bim to man in any of ou~ imperfections ; any thing that is a Repi-f,.c/jing of God is Blafphemy. Such as Rab./h;k!.b ufc:d when he thre~tned Heze~iab ; and ~uch as Infidels and Hereticks ufc: when they deny his <Jmnipref~nce, Ommfctence, Government, ]ufhce> partJcular Pr~vtdence or Goodnefs t and affirm ~ny evil ofhim as; that he is the author of !in, or falfe of his word, or that he governeth the world by meer doc~it; or the like. 9: 1 j. 2. Another fin of the Tongue is fal[e Dollrint, or ~eaching thing~ falft an~ dai1g~roti< 0; from God : If any falfly fay, he had fuch or fuch a pomt by D1,vme ln(p~rauon, .Vifwn or Revelati, on, that maketh him a falfe Prophtt. But 1f he only fay falfly, that this or that Do6hine is contained in the Scripture, or delivered by tradition to the Church, this is but to be a fai(t 1ta;ber : which i$ a fin greater or lefs according to the aggravations hereafter mentioned• . ~· 14. 3.Anot.herof the fins of theTongueisan oppofingo{Gqd/inefs ,indirtbG, IJY f•lfe ~fpti;a; "'".of "'" Dollrmc, a~d an oppofin~ of go.dly. per[ons tor the fake of goditHtfl, and ~aveiling again{! parucular truths and 4~ttts ofRehg1on: or md1re6tl~ op~ofin~. the Truth or iluty under pretence o~ .oppofl~~ only fame controver!ed m?de or.'mperfe6twn •.n htm lhat fpeaketh or, pcrfor.meth it: A .!efcndmg of thofe points and practiCeS whiCh would fubvert or undermine Relision : A fecret coG g s • deavou~
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