diers did at Chrift in his fufferings, Matth. xxvii. 28. 29. The natural imperfections of others are their sport, though reproaching the poor they defpife his Maker; yea and their finful imperfections too, for fools make a mock at fin.

Some have a mighty fondness for gibing and taunting; their whole converfe runs that way, to make others uneafy and themselves merry with their taunts. Let them not value themselves on their ta

lent; if any spark of tenderness be left in them, I doubt they dare look to it as a good gift given them from above, but as an abufe of the good gift of God. It was Ifhmael's way, for which he was caft out of the family of the faithful, Gal. iv. 29.

(13.) Reviling and railing, giving others reproachful and opprobrious names, piercing them with bitter words, and murdering them with their tongues, Matth. v. 22. I Cor. vi. 10. Revilers are among

thofe excluded out of heaven.

Thefe are fome of the ways how the wicked tongue gives home thrufts to others, and pierces like the piercing of the fword, following the example of him who was a liar and a murderer from the beginning. But would ye fee them all gathered together in one, ye have them in,

(13.) Lastly, Scolding and rating, an abominable diforder which we are fo much disturbed with. There their wicked hearts, ftirred up with paffion and revenge, vomit out all at once this filthy ftuff. For there their neighbour's faults are unneceflarily difcovered, aggravated, &c. as if hell's forces were rendezvouling betwixt them. Wonder not at the expreffiou. See Jude 9. No, the angel durft not engage Satan with thefe weapons whereof he was the proper mafter, and at which none can outdo him. If ye take not better heed to your tongues, they will ruin you, Pfal. lii. 2-5,

There are fome other evils of the tongue here forbidden, the hurt whereof does not so plainly appear.

1. Talkativeness, or much speaking. Some are ever talking, and are never in their element but when prattling; and when once they loofe, it is as hard to ftop them as to ftop a flood, and turn it another way. Of it I fay,

(1.) It is a fign of a loofe and frothy heart, where the fear of God has little place, Eccl. v, 2. For that would make our words few, true, weighty, and ufeful. When God has given us two ears, and but one tongue, that we may be fwift to hear and flow to speak; it is a pregnant evidence of a naughty heart, to be swift to speak and flow to hear.

(2.) It is the fool's badge, Eccl. v. 3. Talkative perfons, for want of acquaintance with themfelves, thinking to fhew themfelves wife, ordinarily prefent a fool to the company. They will have a flood of words, who have hardly a drop of good fenfe or judgement; fo that they are juft a voice, and no more. They that are given to much speaking, can hardly fpeak either true or well; which made an orator ask a double fee of a talkative scholar, one to learn him to fpeak well, another to learn him to hold his peace. It is the character of a virtuous woman, that he openeth her mouth with wifdom, Prov. xxxi. 26. Her mouth is not always open, but duly fhut and difcreetly opened.

2. Idle fpeaking, Matth. xii. 36. The tongue was given to man to be for the honour of God, and the good of himfelf and his neighbour. Though our words then be not evil in themfelves, they are evil because they are idle; that is, words fpoken to no good purpofe, tending neither to the honour of God, nor the good of ourselves or others, neither to his moral good to make him more holy, nor to his civil good, as not being upon the neceflary concerns of human life, nor his natural good, to maintain the moderate chearfulnefs of fociety. It may be comprehended under foolish talking, rafh, raving,

and impertinent difcourfe, doing no good to the hearers, but bewraying the folly of the speaker.

3. A trade of jefting, Eph. v. 4. It is not finful to pass an innocent jeft for begetting of moderate chearfulness. The wife man tells us, There is a time to weep, and a time to laugh, Eccl. iii. 4. It may in fome cafes be as neceffary to chear the fpirits, as a cordial is to restore them, or a pleasant gale of wind to purify the air. It was not unbecoming the gra. vity of the prophet to mock Baal's priefts, and to fay, Cry aloud; for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is purfuing, or he is on a journey; or peradventure he fleepeth, and must be arvakened, 1 Kings xviii. 27. But finful are,

(1.) Offenfive jefts, which tend to the fhewing a defpifing of our neighbour, to the irritating and provoking of him. And indeed it is often feen, that those who are much given that way, their converfation is most offenfive, fparing neither friend nor foe, and will rather lose their friend than their jest.

(2.) Profane jefts, either making a mock of fin, or of that which is holy, particularly wrefting and abufing of fcripture, to exprefs the conceits of their light and wanton wits. It is a dangerous thing to jeft in fuch matters.

(3.) People's being immoderate in jefting. To make every word a jeft, is liker the ftage than Chriftian gravity. This is as abfurd as to prefent a man a difh of falt to feed on; a little of it is good for seasoning, but to give it for the whole entertainment is abfurd.

4. Lafly, Flattery, Pfal. xii. 3. This is a moft dangerous ftroke, and the more deadly that the wound it gives does not fmart, but by it a man is hugged to ruin. The words of a flatterer are fmoother than oil, yet are they in effect as drawn fwords. It is a compound of lying, abjectnefs of fpirit, and treachery. The flatterer gives the praise that is not due, profeffes the kindness that is not real, and fcrews up

all to a pitch far above truth; and fo he is a liar. He debafes himself to please others, turning himself into every fhape to humour the party he is to flatter; and betrays him into felf-conceit and unacquaintednefs with himself.

I fhall fhut all with a twofold dehortation.

First, Speak truth, and beware of lying. Lying is a very common fin; repent of that guilt, and beware of it for the future. For motives, confider,

Mot. 1. That God is the God of truth, the author and lover of truth, so that he cannot lie. And therefore lying is moft contrary to the nature and mind of God; it is therefore fingularly abominable and hateful to him, Pfal. x. 6. Prov. vi. 16. 17. We find that God fuffered Adam's fons to marry their own fifters, and the Ifraelites to fpoil the Egyptians of what they had borrowed of them; but never did the God of truth at any time difpenfe with mens fpeaking lies. Hate that abominable thing then,

which God fo hates.

2. All lies are from the devil in a special manner, John viii. 44. It was he that firft broached lies in the world, and ruined mankind with them; and having fped fo well with that engine of hell at first, no wonder he fets himself to keep up the trade. He is the father of lies, that begets them on the false heart, and they are brought forth by the lying tongue. Whom do liars resemble then, the God of truth or the father of lies?

3. Lying is a part of the old man of fin, which must be put off, if we would not be put out of God's prefence, Eph. iv. 24. 25. It is the way to which our corrupt natures do kindly and quickly incline, Pfal. lviii. 3. The wicked go aftray, as foon as they be born, fpeaking lies. Hence children are not to learn this, they have the art of it from their first father Adam. But as foon as grace enters the heart, it rectifies it in that point. Hence the Lord's people are called children that will not lie, If. lxiii. 8. VOL. III.

X

4. There is a meannefs or bafenefs in lying beyond what is in other common fins, either because it proceeds from fear, or tends to deceive. Hence liars themfelves cannot endure to be called liars; the bafenefs of the fin being fo much acknowledged in the world, that though many bring forth and cherish the vile brat, none can endure to be reputed the father of it. And no wonder it is reputed fuch a bafe thing; for when once a man is known to make no confcience of truth, he has loft his credit, and is looked on as a man that cannot be bound with the common ties of fociety, nor trufted.

Lastly, It will bring God's wrath heavily on the guilty, Prov. xix. 5. 9. A false witness fhall not be "unpunished, and he that speaketh lies fhall not efcape. A falfe witnefs fhall not be unpunished; and he that Speaketh lies fhall perish. God's truth is impawned for the liar's deftruction, even eternal deftruction. Shall liars have accefs to heaven? No, they are barred out from thence, Rev. xxi.ult. There fhall in nowife enter into it any thing that-maketh a lie. Their lodging is appointed to them in another place with the devil the father of lies, in the lake that burns with fire and brimftone, Rev. xxi. 8. & xxii. 15. I fhall give you a few advices.

1. Strike at the root of lying, and fo the fruit will wither and come to nought. The great root of all is the corrupt nature, that needs to be mortified by grace from Jefus Chrift. There are alfo particular lufts on which lies depend. Labour to be humble, for pride and felf-feeking occafions many lies, as the boafter's lie. Some are founded on covetouinefs, as the lies in bargaining; fome in fear, flaviih fear of men, as denying of truth; fome in the vanity and rafhnefs of our natures, whereby lies come to be broached without a formed defign.

2. Accuftom yourselves to few words, for in the multitude of words there wanteth not fin, Prov.X. 19.