aERM. CHRISTIAN MORALITY; &C. 337 In all the discoveries of our esteem for other nien, let us speak no more than we in our hearts believe. It is a 'character of a very vicious time, and a very degenerate and corrupt age, in Ps. xii. 2. They speak every one with his neighbour, with flattering lips, and with adouble heart do they speak ; but the Lord shall cut off all flat- tering lips, for he hates them. ver.'3. They speak flat- tery with their tongue, while at the same time their throats are open sepulchres, and they, it may be, attempt to waste, devour, and destroy. This character of the basest of men you read in the with Psalm, and you find the same hateful practice among the Jews in their deep- est degeneracy ; Jer. ix. 5, 8. They will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth. One speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth wait fbr him, But this which was so abominable in a Jew, surely a christian ought to stand at thegreatest distance from at all times: As in discovery of our esteem, so in the profession of our love and good-will to our neighbour, we must ob- serve truth. When your heart is not with your neigh- bour, be not profuse of the language of friendship. Let love be without dissimulation ; Rom. xii. 9. Let love be sincere to your fellow-creatures, and love toyour fellow- Christians he upright and cordial. Let not that affection appear in a flourish of fine words, if it be not warm in your soul. This is the first character of truth, that our words agree with our hearts. IL The next instance of the truth required in my text, is, when our deeds are comformable to our words : And this is called faithfulness, as the former is called ve- racity or sincerity. Faithfulness or truth, in this sense, has respect to our vows, our promises, our resolutions, or our threatenings, 1. Vows are properly made to God alone : And when they are made, if the matter of them be lawful, they ought,to be performed. When thou vowest a vow, defer not topay it. Better it is thou shouldest not,vow, than that thou shouldest vow, and not pay ; Eccles. v. 4, 5. 2. Promises of things lawful made toour fellow-crea- tures, must also be fulfilled with religious care. As for things unlawful, they ought not to be promised. We VOL: I. z
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=