He, that speaketh truth, will shew righteousnesses: wherein? A faithful witness delivereth souls: but a deceiver speaketh lies; a virtue of no small importance: for death and life are in the hand of the tongue; and as a man loves, he shall eat the fruit thereof, to good, or evil; to himself, others: himself, A wholesome tongue is as a tree of life, and the lip of truth shall be stable for ever: others, The tongue of the just man is as fined silver, and the lips of the righteous do feed many: therefore Buy the truth, and sell it not; as those do which either 1. lie, 2. slander, 3. dissemble, or 4. flatter. Pr. xij. 17. xiv. 25. xviii. 21. xv. 4. xii, 19. x. 20. x. 21. xxiii. 23,

SECT. 5.

The liar His fashions,

The liar His manifestation,

His punishment.

A faithful witness will not lie, but a false record will speak lies. Of those six, yea, seven things that God hateth, two are a lying tongue, and a false winess that speaketh lies; for such a one mocketh at judgment, and his mouth swallows up iniquity, yea a false tongue hateth the afflicted. He is soon perceived; for a lying tongue varieth incontinently: and when he is found, A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies, shall not escape; for the lying lips are abomination to the Lord, therefore a false witness shall perish : and who pit es him? Such a one is a hammer, a sword, a sharp arrow to his neighbour; he deceiveth with his lips, and saith, I will do to him as he hath done to me. Two things then have I required of thee, deny me them not until I die, &c. Remove far from me vanity,

and lics. Let me be a poor man rather than a liar. Pr. xiv. 5. vi. 16. vi. 17. vi. 19. xix. 28. xxvi. 28. xii. 19. xix. 5. xii. 22. xxi. 28. xxv. 18. xxiv. 28, 29. xxx. 7. xxx. 8. xix. 21.

'THIS wicked man diggeth up evil, and in his lips is like burning fire; He shutteth his eyes to devise wickedness: he moveth his lips and bringeth evil to pass and either he inventeth ill rumours; A righteous man hateth lying words: but the wicked causeth slander and shame; or else in true reports he will be foolishly meddling, and goeth about discovering secrets; (where he, that is of a faithful heart, concealeth matters) and by this means raiseth discord. Without wood the fire is quenched and without a tale-bearer, strife ceaseth; for the words of a tale-bearer are as flatterings, and go down into the bowels of the belly: therefore as, on the one side, thou mayest not give thine heart to all that men speak of thee, lest thou hear thy servant cursing thee; so, on the other, no countenance must be given to such for As the north-wind drives away rain; so doth an angry countenance the slandering tongue. Pr. xvi. 27. xvi. 30. xiii. 5. xx. 3. xi. 13. xxvi. 20. xviii. 8. Ec. vii. 23. Pr. xxv. 23.

THE slanderer and dissembler go together: He that dissembleth hatred with lying lips, and he that invenieth slander, is a fool; there is then a malicious dissembler: He, that hateth, will counterfeit with his lips, and in his heart he layeth up deceit; such one, though he speak favourably, believe him not; for there are seven abominations in his heart. Hatred may be covered with deceit, but the malice thereof

shall (at last) be discovered in the congregation. There is a vainglorious dissembler, that maketh himself rich, and is poor: and, a covetous: There is that makes himself poor, having great riches: and this both 1. in bargains: it is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone apart, he boasteth; and 2. In his entertainment; The man that hath an evil eye: as though he thought in his heart, so will he say to thee, Eat, and drink, but his heart is not with thee. Lastly, an impenitent; He, that hideth his sins shall not prosper: but he, that confesseth and forsaketh them, shall have mercy. The flatterer praiseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning but with what success? To himself: It shall be counted to him for a curse: to his friend: A man, that flattereth his neigh bour, spreadeth a net for his steps; he spreadeth and catcheth: for a flattering mouth causeth ruin. The only remedy then is: Meddle not with him, that flattereth with his lips: for It is better to hear the rebuke of wise men, than the song of fools. Pr. x. 18. xxvi. 24. xxvi. 25. xxvi. 26. xiii. 7. xiii. 7. xx. 24. xiii. 6. xxiii. 7. xxviii. 13. xxvii. 14. xxix. 5. xxvi. 28. xx. 19. Ec. vii. 7.

The uprightness of the just shall guide them, and direct their way; which is ever plain and straight: whereas the way of others is perverted, and strange. Yea, as to do justice and judgment is more acceptable (to the Lord) than sacrifice; so it is a joy to the just himself, to do judgment: all his labour therefore tendeth to life, he knoweth the cause of the poor, and will have care of his soul: His work is right, neither intendeth he any evil against his neighbour; seeing he dwelleth by him without fear: and what loseth he by this? As the true balance, and the weight are of the Lord, and all the weights of the bag are his work: so God loveth him that followeth righteousness: and with men. The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: and Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that perverteth his ways, though he be rich. Yea, finally, The memorial of the just shall be blessed. Pr. xi. 3. xi. 5. xxv. 19. xxi. 8. xxi. 3. xxi. 25. x. 16. xxix. 7. xxix. 10. xxi. 8. iii. 29. xvi. 11. xv. 9. xii. 16. xxviii. 6. xx. 7.

CONTRARY to this is deceit: whether in a colour: As he, that feigneth himself mad, casteth fire-brands, arrows and mortal things: so dealeth the deceitful man, and saith, Am I not in sport? As this deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: so in their hands are divers weights; and divers balances: or, directly, He that is partner with a thief, hateth his own soul, and dangerous are the ways of him that is greedy of gain; much more publicly, I have seen the place of judg ment, where was wickedness; and the place of justice, where was iniquity: I thought in mine heart God will judge the just and the wicked, yea, oft times speedily; so as The deceitful man roasteth not what he took in hunting: or if he eat it; The bread of deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth shall be filled with gravel. Pr. xxvi. 18. xxvi. 9. xii. 10. xx. 10. xxix. 24. i. 19. Ec. iii. 6. iii. 17. Pr. xii. 27. xx. 17.

LOVE to God: I love them that love me: and they that seek me early, shall find me; and with me, blessings: I cause them that love me, to inherit substance, and I will fill their treasures. 2. To men, (1.) In passing by offences; Hatred stirreth up contentions, but love covereth all trespasses, and the shame that rises from them: so that he only that covereth a transgression, seeketh love. (2.) In doing good to our enemies: If he that hateth thee be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink. Here therefore do offend, 1. the contentious, 2. the envious. Pr. viii. 17, viii. 21. x. 12. xii. 16. xvii. 9. xv. 21.

The contentious,.

SECT. 11.

whether in raising ill rumours,

or whether by pressing matters too far.

THE first is he, that raiseth contentions among brethren :' which once raised, are not so soon appeased. A brother offended is harder to win then a strong city and their contentions are like the bar of a palace. This is that violent man, that deceiveth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way which is not good, the way of discord, whether 1. by ill rumour; The fools lips come with strife; and as the coal maketh burning coals, and wood a fire, so the contentious man is apt to kindle strife, and that even among great ones: A froward person soweth strife, and a talebearer maketh division among princes: or 2. by pressing matters too far: When one churneth milk, he bringeth forth butter; and he, that wringeth his nose, causeth blood to come out so he, that forceth wrath, bringeth forth strife, the end whereof is never good: for if a wise man contend with a foolish man, whether he be angry or laugh, there is no rest. Pr. vi. 19. xviii. 19. xvi. 19. xviii. 6. xxvi. 11. xvi. 28. xxx. 33. xxix. 9.

THE second is that injustice, whereby the soul of the wicked wisheth evil, and his neighbour hath no favour in his eyes: that moveth him to be glad when his enemy falleth, and his heart to rejoice when he stumbleth; and this is a violent evil. 1. To itself; A sound heart is the life of the flesh; but envy is the rotting of the bones. 2. To others; Anger is cruel, and wrath is raging: but who can stand before envy? But of all other, it is most unjust when it is set upon an evil subject. Fret not thyself because of the malicious, neither be envious at the wicked, nor chuse any of his ways: neither let thine heart be envious against sinners, nor desire to be with them; for as their heart imagineth destruction, and their lips speak mischief, so the froward is an abomination to the Lord; and there shall be none end of the plagues of the evil man; and his light shall be put out. Prov.