62{,Chap, 31. An Expofition spot tbeSook,e ®f Jo B. Verf.3o. proclaime their owne fin, and hide it not. We are fuch as our words are ; Such,I meane,as our words ordinarily are. No good man can fpeake much evill,and how Title foever he fpeakes (being convinced ofit) he repents of it. And though a bad man may fpeake goodwords, yet his words ( except in found ) are no bet- ter then he is.For while he fpeakes what he is not,or meanes not, or believes not, or pradifes not,ehough what he fpeakes be good in it felfe, and may doe good to others, yet as fpoken by him,'tia as bad as he is ; He is hypocritical!, and foare his words. There- fore the Apoffle fames concludes ( Chap. 3 2.) Ifany man of- fendnot in word he is a perft itman; nor only perred, as perfecti- on is oppofed to hypocrifie and notes fincerity, but perfect as perfcdion is opposed to a lefíer degree of grace, and notes our growth and progrcffe in holynes. He is not only a beginner, but a great proficient ingrace who offendsnot in word. That marl bath a great command of his thoughts, who can command his tongue ; and fo decla7es himfelfe a perfeEE man. And when the Apo{fle faith;Ifany man ( ffcndnot in word,he intimates that there are very few, but doe offend, and offend greatly in word. The tongue is much and often imployed in the fervice of fin ; there is Vndrq; notis no member of the body that Sathan makes fo much nie of, as he dialoolMs infidi. doth ofthis,& ill words areas bad worke as any he lets us about. as parare con- Solomon faith (Pro. r 8. 21.) Death and life are in the power ofthe vir, arepc- tongue ; that is, according to the right or ill ufingof the tongue, ante, nultum we may coiled whether men are dead or alive as to God, and sill ague eon. whether theyare bound for deathor for life, for heaven or hell. groom ore" That's the meaningofChrift (Math. 12. 37 ) By thy words then: eft in miniffe- alt be 'u red and by thy words thou (halt be con etrined; we are ChyinlYitas not uftufi d in a ffrid fence, eyther by our words or worker hyioft: l Y y s nothing but the righteoufnefïeofChiifz ree aved and applyed by faith candoe that ; yet according to the ufage of the tonguethe sentence ofcondemnation and jollification will be pronounced in that great day. Christ will fpeake of men according towhat they have spoken : and as others have heard them fpeaking, fo they a!t heare Chrift fpeaking. Again; As we ulually fall into tongue fins. fo we eafily fall into them. For, firif, there is a fpeedy paffage between the heart and tongue,the heart is quickly at the tongues end;evillthoughts are footle formed up into eviil words. Secondly, fpeech is a natu- call
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