32I The kghteous Judge, or, Mat. 5 . 22 . beenpaffed by, He that calls his Brotherfool,(hall be ist danger ofhellfire, d?at.5 22. Jude 11, 14, Then much more thole evil fpeeches againfi _God , Pre& r3,_14. He /hall come with thoufands ofhis angelsinfudgrrjientagainfl a!!thole that havefPokenagain/$ him. They have'fpokenagamít God, they have rcw,ifed him, he, (hill judge themfor all their evil, and curfed fpeakings againfi him, faith the Apoftivt .They in fury and madnefs fell toevil and curfed fpcáking,and (lightedGod,apd dapifed him ; there- fore he shall come ingreat glorywith thoufands ofhis4Inge11, to.make it,appear that he ismore glorious then they thought hirnto be, ,andhe .willri4ftend for the ofhis honour,and the manife Iingöfhjs glOry in fueled trrrrble appearance at that day. Again( all tbof-thöt J eak ca&;=indigaínft-áll theircurfed fpeakings againfl him faith the Text, evil (peaking againft God, is curled(peaking. Becaufe it expofeth a man to a curie, it leaves him under a curie that fball appearat thatdayto be juft against him ; fo we feeGod will bring both words andworks to judgement at that day. And the reafons are. Read t. Firft, becaufe the Law ofGodbinds men in theirfpeechesas well as in theira&ï- The Law ons: I fay the Law that fhall judge them dothnowbind them ib their very fpeeches binds men in- as well as in their a&ions. You have two commandments exprefly taking notice fpeeches. ofthe words ofmen. The third commandment of the words ofmcn concerning God, he that takes the name of God in vain, he will not hold him guihlefs. And then the ninthcommandthent ofthe wordsofmen concerning men. Thou/halt not bear falfewitnefi againfl thy neighbour. NowGod that hat made a Law to hind, and to order men in the matter offpeech,. certainly he will judge men by that Law. You know that Kings and Princes, and Parliaments, andKingdoms, they makenot Lawesin vain, but they arcthe dire&ions whereby the judges proceed in their courfe of judgement upon malefa&ors. So I fay Gods Lavv it is not 'in vain, it is not a baredire &ion only to us in point ofobedience, but'alfo the cxprefs rule vvhereby Chrift himfelf vvillproceed inmatter nf judgement..: Reaf. z. 1, gain fecondly, there is great reafon that vvords as vvell as afiions should Jae Words injure brought to judgement, becaufe God and men are injured by vvords as veril as by God and man. a&ions. Firft concerningGod, you read of fome, Tfal, 73. thatfit theirmouths againfi God, and againff heaven. Indeed they can do no more hurt to'God than a man that (hoots an Arrovv at theSun can hurt the Sunby (hootingat him; but in their intention they fet themfclves against God in as much as their tongues are Pet against Lerir. 24 . u, him. And in Levit. a4. tr. The vvord there tranflated to blafÿheme, iv is in the original, that thc man (tabbed God, or did pierce God, he offered a kind of violence ïo the holy name ofGod. Such finful fpeeches as are forbidden in the third Commandment, and do concern the name of God orany ofhis attributes or . ordinances, any thing that is fpokeu against them, or vvithout due reverence and I refpe& to them, they arc there Paid to be a ftabbing ofGod, in theHebrew phrafe, or a piercingof God, a woundingofGod, doing Tome violence to God himlelf. Now I fay when fuelswrong and injury isdone to God,ilaall not Godtake a time to right himfclfof thole that injure him ? Secondly, it is an injury done to men. You know it is a common thing in Law to have a&ions against men for fpeeches, they make fpeeches a&ions ; they make them liable to the penaltyand cenfure of the Law for fpeeches. So the LawofGod proceeds according to the very fpeechesofinen,whereby they havedifcouragedhis fervants in any kind at any time, inany duty ofReligion, and comic ofhis worfbip, or whereby they have brought an ill report on it. As thofe ¡pierdid upon the Land, therefore,they might not be fuffered to go into the Land : So I faywhenmen bring an evil report upon the duties ofgodlinefsthey (hut themfelvcsout ofthe kingdom ofGod. So likewife whenmen make that whichis ftraightbecome crooked : It is faidóf Att. S. Simon Magus that he perverted theffraight wages ofGod, that is, he did as much as lay in him to make the firaight wayes ofGod to fcem crooked, that as a man that puts a flick inthe water though it be firaight when it is put in,ycth kerns crooked when
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